


Fourteen (14) Days

by donutdisturblivball



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: (but its not sexual. i'm not gonna write porn guys-), (is it rly platonic tho), Angst, BC LIKE YES, Baking, Boys In Love, Breakfast, Cliche, Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic Fluff, First Meetings, Fluff, Food Fights, Forehead Kisses, Gay, Happy, Hoodies, ITS JUST A BUNCH OF CLICHES, ITS SO DOMESTIC, ITS THE ROOMMATE CLICHE TOO OMFG :0000, Ice Cream, M/M, Massage, Morning Cuddles, Muffins, Mutual Pining, Nightmares, Oblivious, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Out of Character, POV Second Person, Pining, Pizza, Platonic Cuddling, Romance, SKEPPY HAS BAD BEDHAIR AND BAD LOVES IT TOO MUCH, Scary Movies, Sharing Clothes, Sharing a Bed, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Dancing, Slow Romance, Streaming, THEY BAKE MUFFINS, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, actually you might be older than me-, for like one chapter lmao, go eat something child, i forgot to add tags for the last chapter lol, idk - Freeform, idk if its a slowburn tho, if they pull a dream and george (and wilbur ig) im going dark, ignore the angst tag its sorta a spoiler but its not bc its all cliche, lol, movies - Freeform, nvm then :D, probably, skeppy's a messy eater, soft, thats true it is a slow build, they kept talking abt it so uhm i had to, they meet up in this fic, vlog
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:47:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 29,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27783208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/donutdisturblivball/pseuds/donutdisturblivball
Summary: They only have fourteen days, and it's not nearly enough. Bad does what he can.~~~Or, my summaries are shit and they basically meet up and the socks slowly come off (were they even on?)
Relationships: Zak Ahmed/Darryl Noveschosch
Comments: 256
Kudos: 533





	1. Prologue (Saturday)

**Author's Note:**

> ajsdflkjdsjlk yes i'm back with another fic but after the way they kept hinting to meeting up it was bound to happen sooner or later.
> 
> this wont affect any updates for nobody else or any other one shots. it's a simple 2 week project :D
> 
> well uhhhhhhhh idk what to say- its rly cliche. thats all. enjoy :>
> 
> ~donut :3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a prologue ooh~ :O
> 
> ~donut c:

Bad does not like heights. He’s told it to his fans countless times, and he’s told Skeppy too. Of course he wants to meet up with Skeppy, the muffin that trolled him on multiple occasions (and that he may or may not have a teenie-tiny crush on). He does want to see him, and Skeppy wants to see him, but it’s always the question of if he does get on a flight, who’s to say that it isn’t the _one_ flight that goes down and crashes? 

So, Skeppy flies to see him.

It was silly-- why hadn’t they thought of such an obvious solution before? It was right there in plain sight, right under their noses, but it took them so long to figure that out. Bad internally scolds himself for being so silly. He doesn’t scold Skeppy. Skeppy doesn’t deserve to get scolded, because the look on his face is never worth even a little scolding. In Bad’s opinion, at least.

He waits for what seems like an eternity. One day seems like a lifetime, one that he doesn’t wish to wait for. It’s funny how slowly time can go by. He tries to avoid checking the clock to see what time it is, and he steers his eyes away from his phone so he can avoid checking for texts that he knows he won’t receive. After all, the water will never boil if you keep your eyes on the pot.

(Bad can’t stop himself from checking his phone, and the clock ticks slowly as he stares at it.)

Skeppy’s flight is only a few hours. Bad knows that, and he’s sure Skeppy is sleeping through it. Or maybe he’s thinking about Bad and how excited he is to meet Bad in the exact same way that Bad is thinking about him. He could be watching a movie. Bad decides to do that too. He chooses a random movie from Netflix that had good reviews and pretends Skeppy is there next to him. He wonders if Skeppy thinks about him just as much as Bad does.

Bad falls asleep, the movie becoming a background noise as he tunes it out, instead thinking about Skeppy and what they’re going to do when he finally arrives. He can’t wait to see who’s taller (he’s fairly sure it’s going to be him), and he anticipates getting to hold Skeppy in his arms, giving him a tight embrace. He wonders if it’s going to feel as nice as it does in his fantasies. 

A few hours later, he awakes, and there’s still two more hours before he can hold Skeppy or see his face in person. It feels like forever. It is forever. Bad wishes that Skeppy could text while on the airplane. He misses him, even though he knows in his head that Skeppy is closer to him than he’s ever been. Bad takes out his phone, scrolling through Twitter before he decides to make a tweet of his own. 

BadBoyHalo @/SaintsofGames • Just now 

I miss Skeppy :(

~~~

He drives to the airport anxiously, his legs twitching as he bites his lip. The lights seem to turn green slower than normal, and it’s almost like the lights turn red more often, prolonging his journey. He just wants to see Skeppy. It’s almost as if the universe disagrees. 

Finally, he arrives in the parking lot, and it takes even longer to find a parking spot. He does, after a lot of searching, and dashes into the airport. He doesn’t know where to wait, so he decides to go get some food. Skeppy will be hungry. The airplane food isn’t good-- or so he’s heard.

He finds a seat in the food court and waits with Skeppy’s McDonalds (he gets him a Happy Meal, since Skeppy is a child sometimes). The world moves slowly around him, until he finally gets a notification.

**Skeppy**

Today 5:49

bad

badddddd

dude

my plane landed

where are you? :0

baggage claim

i’ll be there soon! :D

He jumps up from his seat, grabs Skeppy’s meal and speed walks as fast as he can to the baggage claim to find Skeppy. He stops in front of the baggage claim section and scans the area for the familiar figure of Skeppy. 

When he finds him, Skeppy looks at him at almost the exact same time. Their eyes lock, and Bad takes a moment to admire his friend.

Skeppy is beautiful, in Bad’s opinion. He shines and he glows. His hair is all unkempt and messy from the flight, and he looks tired, but in the airport lights, he still looks beautiful. He makes Bad breathless. He makes Bad _drown_.

He breaks away from his daze to run to his friend in excitement. Skeppy has the same idea, and he drags his suitcase behind him as he dashes to Bad. His suitcase slows him down by just a bit, but inevitably, it doesn’t matter because he discards it as Bad leaps into his arms. He’s a bit taller than him, but Bad can’t bring it in himself to feel disappointed. At least he knows now. 

It’s almost anticlimactic. Bad doesn’t know what he expects when he finally holds his best friend, in the flesh. He doesn’t know if he expects a kiss (but he knows he wants one) or just a prolonged embrace. It ends up being the latter of the two, Bad sobbing softly into Skeppy’s shoulder because he’s just so happy that he’s finally with his best friend after years of knowing him. The world doesn’t stop moving as they cry into one another. He doesn’t hear fireworks going off in his ears, nor does he feel them in his heart, but he knows there’s butterflies in his stomach, and he feels Skeppy in his arms. It’s not what he’d dreamed of. It wasn’t like this in his fantasies, but maybe that’s what he likes most about it. Because then, it’s so undeniably real.

Skeppy is exhausted. He tries to hide it on the way home, but Bad only smiles at him as he tries to talk excitedly. Bad lays a hand on his knee, gives him a comforting look that tells him to stop before he overworks himself, and goes back to driving. Bad has to pull Skeppy out of the car and force him into the bathroom to shower while he brings Skeppy’s bags inside his house. Rat greets him joyfully, barking at the new person in her household. Bad gets on a knee to shush her. 

“Skeppy’s still a bit tired, Rat,” he whispers, “Please be quiet?”

On a normal day, Rat would keep barking mercilessly, but this time, she heeds to his call and quiets down. He smiles fondly. 

“Thank you, Rat,” he says, petting her. Perhaps today is special. Who is he kidding? Skeppy’s here. Skeppy makes today special. He makes every day special.

He opens Skeppy’s suitcase to find his pyjamas and leaves them on the bathroom counter. The bathroom door opens and Bad leads a tired Skeppy into the guest room to sleep. Skeppy falls asleep out almost as soon as his head hits the pillow, and Bad lays the blankets on him gently.

Bad stares for a few minutes to admire his best friend. He looks so peaceful, and even though he’s already started to snore a bit and his mouth is wide open which guarantees drooling in the future, Bad admires him because he looks so pretty. He’s angelic. He’s ethereal. He’s perfect, and Bad loves him for it. He sighs as he leaves the room, closing the door softly behind him, despite knowing that he could slam it and Skeppy wouldn’t wake up. He doesn’t want to break the calm atmosphere that he’s fallen into.

“Good night, Skeppy,” he whispers, not expecting nor receiving a response. He closes the door and goes to shower himself, before he goes to his own room to sleep. Rat jumps onto his bed as he lays down, curling up next to him. 

He lays awake, staring at the ceiling as it slowly seeps in for him. Skeppy’s here, in his house. He’s in the room next door, only a few feet away. He’d held Skeppy today. Bad childishly squeals into his pillow out of pure joy. He’s here. Skeppy’s here. 

It’s everything Bad imagined it to be and everything it wasn’t. It’s simply everything-- knowing his best friend is so close, knowing how it feels to hold him. He falls asleep with a goofy grin on his face, knowing that his best friend is right next door.

(Bad dreams of Skeppy.)

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have a twitter acct but i don't have the app and i don't rly use the website-- like every two weeks i'll go online to see what MCYT-ers are up to, so- its probably inaccurate in that little tweet part lmao
> 
> i hope you guys are as hyped up for this as i am to write it!!!!! >:D
> 
> ~donut :]


	2. Day One (Sunday)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad and Skeppy spend their first day together. It's nothing short of perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> an update two days in a row??? what???? :000000
> 
> yep! this is kinda gonna be the format of the fic! i'm aiming for daily updates to represent the fourteen days, so... yeah lol. if it gets to be too much along with school (i actually have like a science test and an algebra test this week along with a placement test for something else that I'm not gonna tell you bc i don't wanna leak too much info abt me :) all you get to know is that, yes, i'm still in school).
> 
> thank you guys for all your support!! the comments from the prologue got me so hyped up to write the rest of this fic :)
> 
> I RLY LIKE THIS CHAPTER. ITS CLICHE. CLICHES ARE THE BEST. FIGHT ME.
> 
> ~donut (ง'̀-'́)ง (jk ily guys lmao)

Bad wakes up early enough to cook both him and Skeppy breakfast. He yawns as he exits his bed, and he wonders what Skeppy would like to eat. He goes for some eggs and toast, popping the bread into the toaster. He pours some water into Rat’s bowl and gives her some dog food to chew on once she wakes up. He grabs a pan as Skeppy exits his room. 

“Skeppy,” he sends his friend a bright smile. Skeppy doesn’t seem to register it, being too tired to function properly. Bad sympathizes with him. He’s been there before.

Skeppy mutters a quiet “Morning,” in response, and he sits down at the table. Bad sets down a cup of coffee for him, leaving a packet of sugar and a few creamers for Skeppy to use as he pleases. Skeppy sends him a grateful smile, and Bad has the urge to give him a loving kiss on the forehead, but he keeps his hands (and mouth) to himself as he goes back to the eggs.

It’s a slow morning, and the only sounds are of birds chirping outside and the sizzling of the eggs on the pan. The light of the window almost blinds Skeppy and he keeps his eyes shut until Bad returns to the table with a plate of eggs and toast. Bad sits down with a glass of water and his own plate. 

They eat in silence, both too tired to uphold a proper conversation. Bad enjoys the silence, and he openly admires Skeppy because the boy is simply too tired to register Bad’s adoring eyes. It’s perfect for Bad. Skeppy sparkles under the morning sun, and it’s almost unfair as to how beautiful Skeppy looks. Bad really doesn’t mind, though, because it’s Skeppy, and Skeppy deserves to look that beautiful.

A few moments later, their breakfasts are gone and their stomachs are full. Skeppy is more awake, and Bad reluctantly tears his eyes away from his best friend’s beauty. He stands up and grabs both of their dishes to leave in the sink. 

“So,” he says, turning back to his best friend, “What do you want to do today, Skeppy?”

Skeppy smiles. “It’d be kind of nice to go for a bit of a walk,” he replies, “I think I’d like some fresh air.

Bad nods. “There’s a really pretty park that we can go to.”

“Is it as pretty as you?” Skeppy asks, and Bad tries to suppress the little smile that appears on his face. He can’t stop the blushing, and he knows that. Instead, he hides his face as he shakes his head in fake annoyance.

“Not even noon and you’re already being a muffinhead,” he replies, despite the butterflies and the lump in his throat because he really just wants Skeppy to mean the words that he says.

“You love me.”

“I do,” Bad admits.  _ More than you know _ , he wants to say, but he keeps his love for his friend under lock and key. Nothing will come of it, and Bad has convinced himself that he’s perfectly content with that. Having a bit of Skeppy is better than none at all. 

They change in their own rooms and meet again in the middle around five minutes later. Skeppy looks stunning (as always), and Bad feels breath taken. He only wears a simple blue hoodie and black jeans, but he seems to shine as he sends Bad a smile. Bad can only shakily grin in response as they go to put on their shoes.

“Can I take Rat with us?” he asks, reaching for her leash.

“Sure,” Skeppy replies. Bad calls Rat, and after a few moments, she trots over.

“Thanks,” he mutters as he attaches Rat’s leash to her collar. He stands up too, sending Skeppy a smile. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah,” he nods, and they exit the house, Bad locking the door behind him.

They walk down the sidewalk in silence, the both of them still waking up as cars drive past them, Rat barking at each one. The sun shines brightly above them, and Bad feels a sense of tranquility between them. He finds it odd, given that he’s with Skeppy, but it’s the early morning. Bad’s never seen Skeppy in the early morning. He supposes that this meetup allows him to learn more about Skeppy. It makes him giddy.

“She barks a lot,” Skeppy says, and it breaks Bad out of his trance.

“Yeah,” Bad affirms, “I wish she’d stop sometimes, though. It gets a bit annoying on streams.”

Skeppy laughs, an angelic sound. “I bet. You’re always screaming over her.”

“She’s just loud,” Bad sighs, “But I still love her.”

“Like how you love me?”

_ Yes _ , Bad wants to reply, but this time, he keeps his mouth shut. He smiles and he tilts his head, pretending as though he’s thinking about it. Skeppy watches him expectantly before Bad exhales, looking forward.

“Maybe,” he replies, and Skeppy makes a noise of offense. Bad giggles.  _ He’s so cute _ .

“You don’t love me?” he says, his voice breaking playfully. 

“We’ll see, Skeppy,” he replies, but he feels himself move closer to Skeppy. Their hands brush. It’s electric.

“By the way,” Skeppy starts, “Why do you keep calling me Skeppy? You… you can call me Zak, you know.”

“Oh,” Bad says, rather dumbly. “Okay, Zak.”

It’s foreign on his tongue. It’s strange to hear his name coming from his mouth, so he says it again just to get used to it. “Zak.”

“Yeah?” 

He smiles at him. It feels more natural. “You can call me Darryl.”

Skeppy’s smile rivals the sun. “Okay, Darryl.”

The way it sounds coming from him causes butterflies to erupt in his stomach. He lets the fire in his bones consume him whole because he really doesn’t mind if it comes from Skeppy. He smiles back, burning inside. 

~~~

They reach the park a few minutes later, and Rat has finally calmed down. She doesn’t require a lot of exercise, so she simply lays down on the pavement as Bad finds a bench for them to sit at. It’s not that crowded, since it’s an early morning on a Sunday, but there’s a few people there. 

There isn't much that makes this park stand out from the rest, other than the multitude of flowers there. Bad doesn't know why he finds the scenery so pretty, but he knows that it probably would have been better to come at night. There are fairy lights strung around the park, and Bad finds them to be absolutely gorgeous when they shine in the night sky. There is a fountain at the center of the park, and it’s filled with coins and wishes of its many visitors. There are patches of flowers surrounding trees, and there are three rings of cement that surround the fountain for people to walk on. There are benches north and south, east and west around the edge of the largest ring. The park is pretty (but Skeppy is prettier).

Birds chirp, and the wind blows past them gently. The sun coats them rather nicely, and Bad allows himself to relax in the presence of his best friend. They don’t talk much, just because the soft, silent atmosphere is nice and they don’t want to break it. Bad leans his head on Skeppy’s shoulder. He feels Skeppy tense a bit, and it’s almost enough to make him pull away, but instead, Skeppy relaxes again with an exhale and leans into Bad as well. Bad sighs in content. This. This is paradise.

“I’m a little bit taller than you, aren’t I?” Skeppy mutters, “I told you.”

Bad bites his lip. “You are,” he admits. Skeppy’s shoulder shakes as he laughs.

“It’s only an inch though!” Bad protests, “So it doesn’t mean anything. No one can tell.”

Skeppy smiles as he looks down at Bad, and he feels his heart jump in his chest. “I can, though.”

Bad swallows thickly. “Whatever,” he huffs, turning away, just because the intensity of Skeppy’s eyes was too much. 

They sit in silence for the rest of their stay at the park. Bad loves this. He loves Skeppy. 

~~~

“Are you hungry?” Bad asks, once they’ve walked a little longer. 

Skeppy opens his mouth to respond before his stomach betrays him and growls loudly. Bad has to stifle a laugh. Skeppy smiles at him a little sheepishly before nodding. 

Bad smiles. “How do you feel about some pizza?”

~~~

The two arrive in a small Domino’s a few minutes later, and they order a pizza with nothing on one half of it, and ham and pineapple on the other.

_ (“Zak,” Bad whines, “You can’t take away the pineapple! It tastes too salty without it!” _

_ “But it doesn’t belong on pizza,” Skeppy argues, “You either go with plain cheese or suffer with the consequences of a thin crust pizza.” _

_ “You- I- That’s blackmailing!”  _

_ The cashier clears her throat, smiling shyly. “There’s a line,” she says, motioning behind them. Bad looks behind himself and notices the long line of customers waiting. Some look annoyed, others amused. He turns back to face the cashier sheepishly, an embarrassed flush coating his cheeks.  _

_ “If you want, we can put no toppings on one half of the pizza and put pineapple and ham on the other half,” the cashier suggests, and Bad nods in response. _

_ “We’ll take that,” he replies. _

_ “Thin crust or regular?” _

_ Bad turns to look at Skeppy in horrification as he grins.) _

They sit down at a table nearby, and Bad sighs as his head hits the table. “I don’t like thin crust pizza,” he mutters, knowing that it won’t do anything to move the boy.

“It’s okay, Darryl,” Skeppy replies. Bad really likes the way his name sounds from Skeppy’s mouth. He wonders if he’ll ever get tired of hearing it. “You’ll be fine.”

“No, I won’t,” he says dejectedly, “There’s no more point in the pizza.”

“You’re not going to waste food, are you?” 

Bad sighs again. “No…”

A few minutes later, their pizza arrives, and Bad jumps up excitedly. It’s not a thin crust pizza. As he gleefully digs into his half of the pizza, he misses the fond glance that Skeppy shoots him. 

~~~

Bad regrets not bundling up as they step out of the Domino’s, his teeth chattering as he folds in on himself. The wind easily blows through the thin turtleneck he wears, and his hands feel rather shaky as he holds Rat’s leash. He exhales, and there’s a puff of fog. It’s so cold.

“Are you-- are you okay, Darryl?” Skeppy asks, looking at his friend worriedly. Bad’s face flushes at his concern, and he suddenly doesn’t mind that the cold has turned his cheeks pink. 

“Just cold,” he replies, “Let’s go home now. I’m going to freeze to death if we stay out here much longer.”

“No, wait,” Skeppy says, stopping him as he starts to walk down the sidewalk home. Bad turns to look at Skeppy in confusion.

“What?”

Skeppy takes off his hoodie, revealing a grey long sleeve shirt underneath. He offers the hoodie to Bad, and Bad only glances at it and back up at him, not moving.

“My hoodie. You can, um, you can have it,” he clarifies, “You seem really cold.”

“But-- you’re going to be cold,” Bad protests, but he starts reaching for the blue cloth anyway. 

“I’ve got a high cold tolerance,” he shrugs, “I used to go out in the snow in just a shirt and jeans.”

“That… that can’t be healthy, Zak,” he says, laughing slightly as he puts the hoodie on. Oh.  _ Oh _ . It’s so warm. It’s so warm and Bad never wants to take it off. It smells like Skeppy, like kitchen spices, even though he’s fairly certain that Skeppy doesn’t cook. It gives him a sense of home.  _ Well _ , he thinks,  _ That makes sense. Zak is home. _

“It probably wasn’t,” Skeppy agrees, “But I’m still alive, right?”

Despite Skeppy not being much taller than Bad, the difference in their clothing size is significant. Skeppy’s hoodie is a bit baggy on him, and he’s able to make sweater paws out of the sleeves of the hoodie. It’s comforting. He flips the hood down, and goes off to walk again.

“I’m glad that you are,” Bad nods. Skeppy’s face flushes, and Bad frowns. He should’ve let Skeppy keep his hoodie. It’s still cold out, even if Skeppy does have his so-called cold tolerance. Bad grabs his hand, pushing down the butterflies and the flames that his skin feels at the contact.

“It’s still cold, your face is red,” he says, looking away. He sees Skeppy nod in his peripheral vision, and so they continue walking home together. 

As Bad locks the door behind him, Rat runs off, and he has the sudden sinking realisation that he  _ does _ , in fact, have to give Skeppy his hoodie back. As he reluctantly begins pulling the hoodie over his head, Skeppy’s hand stops him.

He looks up in confusion, but Skeppy bites his lip and doesn’t answer as Bad stares at him.

“Wha-” 

“Keep it,” he finally states, looking Bad in the eyes, as if he was trying to convey some secret message to him.

“But it’s yours-”

“No,” Skeppy shakes his head, “It’s yours now.”

Bad has already agreed internally, but he still argues nonetheless. “Zak, that makes no sense.”

“It does,” he replies, “It looks better on you anyway. I’m- I’m giving it to you.”

Bad’s face flushes, but he nods. “Okay.”

The two watch movies on Netflix aimlessly for the rest of the night, and once Bad’s alone, in his own room, he can only giggle silently into Skeppy’s-- no, his-- hoodie, taking in the scent. He wonders how long the hoodie will smell of Skeppy.

  
_ Don’t overthink it _ , he reminds himself as he falls asleep coated in a new warmth,  _ It’s just polyester. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LMAO I PULLED A HEATHER DEAL WITH IT-
> 
> i hope you guys enjoyed, and remember: stay hydrated- nah, i'm kidding (but also not, bc uhm, yes, you should stay hydrated), there's always a reason to smile!! i hope you guys have a lovely rest of your day/night!! ♡
> 
> ~donut （*´▽｀*）
> 
> ^if you couldn't tell, i'm now in love with these emoticons i found and will therefore be using them at every chance i get.  
> ♪┏(・o･)┛♪┗ ( ･o･) ┓♪┏ ( ･o･) ┛♪┗ (･o･ ) ┓♪┏(･o･)┛♪


	3. Day Two (Monday)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yesterday was rather tiring, so they decide to relax for the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> asdlfkjsdklj hi :)
> 
> so daily update!!! >:D
> 
> i've been writing non-stop recently to create a buffer, and i'm three chapters ahead of schedule! ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و
> 
> ALSO: they watch a movie. i actually go into it a bit, so uhm... if you haven't watched Bird Box yet, i'm sorry ( ◞‸◟`)
> 
> enjoy!!! (also some people have told me that this is gonna be like the highlight of their next two weeks and i- ty guys, I'm really glad to have made some people's days! your comments always make me smile. ( つ´∀｀)つ
> 
> also.... there have been some requests for a fourteen days from skeppy's POV, and i'm more than glad to provide!! so, after this book, i'll make a sequel that shows how skeppy's been thinking throughout the entire ordeal!
> 
> ~donut ♡

Bad wakes up later than he usually would. He supposes that maybe it's because he felt as if he was embraced in Skeppy’s arms as he slept, or maybe because yesterday was simply so exhilarating that he was exhausted by the time he finally reached the comfort of his own bed. Nonetheless, he awakes to the sound of Lucy’s relentless barking, and he slowly gets out of his bed, Skeppy’s hoodie still loosely on his body. He steps out of his room and gets greeted by an energetic Skeppy, who has raided his kitchen in search for some cereal and milk.

“Darryl!” Skeppy says, “You slept in for a while.”

Bad nods, yawning as he slips into a seat at the dining table. “Yeah, I guess I was just really exhausted from yesterday.”

“All we did was go on a walk,” Skeppy laughs, “Does that seriously make you sleep in until eleven?”

Bad’s eyes widen. “It’s already eleven?!”

“Yeah, it’s like… oh, it’s 11:14,” he replies, before snickering. “Fourteen.”

He rolls his eyes at Skeppy’s antics. “I was hoping for no memes during your stay, Zak.”

“Do you know who you’re talking to?” Skeppy replies incredulously. Bad ponders this for a moment.

“You’re right,” Bad sighs, “But I’m still the one housing you. I’d be more careful if I were you. You should know better than to try something on me in person. It’s a lot different from when you’re behind a screen.” He smirks and stands up to grab some cereal for himself.

Skeppy doesn’t reply as his back is turned, and he considers it a victory. Skeppy can’t pull that many trolls on him in person. He’s sure that it’ll be harder for the younger to conceal his laughter (though he secretly wants Skeppy to try just so he can see how Skeppy looks when he giggles at Bad’s distress).

They eat breakfast, or brunch, in Bad’s opinion, rather quickly and are soon left with the unspoken question of what exactly to do for the rest of the day.

“Are you planning on recording any videos while you’re here?” he asks, once Skeppy has placed their bowls in the sink (he insists that he needs to help Bad more around the house. Bad thinks that it’s enough that he’s here at all.). 

“I wasn’t planning on doing anything,” Skeppy shrugs, “We’d probably get lots of background noise or echoing. I premade lots of videos last week that I can post.”

“So that’s why you were asking to record so often,” Bad hums, and it’s meant to be more to himself, but Skeppy replies anyway.

“Y-yeah,” he says, “It was fun to spend more time with you though. We should… we should do that more often.”

Bad smiles. “Sure,” he agrees. “Are you going to do any live streams, though? I still have to do my Saturday stream on YouTube.”

“Couldn’t you just pretend something came up? I wanna spend more time with you,” Skeppy pouts. It tugs on Bad’s heartstrings, and he wants to say yes, but he smiles and shakes his head reluctantly. Even if they’re in their own world here with each other, they have a commitment to the outside world. It’s still spinning, even if it seems as though it’s stopped.

“You can help me host an event, though. Just don’t get  _ too _ memey.”

He grins. “No promises.”

Bad rolls his eyes playfully. “Well, now that that’s out of the way,” he says, clapping his hands together. He stretches, yawning as he does so. “What do you wanna do today?”

Skeppy hums for a moment, looking up at the ceiling as he ponders the question. “I’m too tired to do anything too big,” he admits, sighing as he comes up with a blank. “Yesterday’s walk was like my weekly quota for how much I go out in a week.”

Bad laughs slightly. “That can’t be healthy, Zak. Don’t you take Rocco for walks?”

“That doesn’t mean that I have to make any social interactions. This is the life of a gamer, Darryl. Join the club.”

“I guess,” Bad shrugs. “That doesn’t answer my question though.”

“Can’t we just stay inside and relax for today? We can do something bigger on another day.”

“Okay,” Darryl agrees, “What do you want to do?”

Skeppy stays silent before he sighs. “Movie?”

~~~

“The popcorn’s done, Skeppy, have you found a film you wanna watch?”

Skeppy sits on Bad’s couch, scrolling through Netflix as Bad reenters the living room with freshly popped popcorn. 

“Yeah,” he nods, keeping a neutral face as Bad sets the bowl on the coffee table in front of them, sitting down next to him. 

Bad’s overly aware of the amount of space between them, as he reclines on his couch. “You can start it now. What genre is it?”

“I didn’t check,” Skeppy replies, popping a piece of popcorn into his mouth, “It should be fine, though.”

He shrugs in reply and picks up the Apple TV remote to turn the movie on. 

The movie starts with a birds-eye view of a river and a forest, ominous music in the background. A voice comes in, and Bad picks up the neatly folded blankets on his couch to wrap himself in. He hands one to Skeppy, who seems to be making it his goal to eat all of the popcorn before they’re even thirty minutes into the movie. 

_ “Listen to me. I’m only going to say this once.” _

A woman comes onto the screen, and Bad feels his leg twitch in anticipation. What type of movie did Skeppy even choose?

_ “We are going on the trip now, it’s going to be rough. It’s going to feel like it’s going on for a long time, so it’s going to be hard to stay alert and it’s going to be even harder to be quiet, but you have to do  _ both _.” _

“She seems kinda mean,” Bad murmurs, “Who do you think she’s talking to?”

Skeppy hums noncommittally, eating popcorn excitedly with the blanket draped loosely over his lap. He doesn’t answer Bad’s question.

_ “You have to do every single thing I say or we will not make it. Understand?” _

“I wonder what trip she’s talking about.”

The woman pauses, and the camera zooms out. Bad subconsciously leans forward in curiosity.

_ “Under no circumstance are you allowed to take off your blindfold.” _

“Blindfold?” Bad asks. Skeppy snickers under his breath. The film shows two young kids, and Bad immediately coos at the sight. “Awe! Skeppy, look at them! They’re so cute!”

“Yeah, they’re cute, I guess.”

The woman continues speaking and Bad relaxes into the couch. She grabs a bird from a cage and places it into a box. He gasps in horror. “What is she doing to that bird?!”

Skeppy laughs. “You’ll see, I guess.”

The woman picks up a bag and walks towards the kids before the scene cuts and it shows the three moving out of the house, blindfolds over their eyes.

“Why are they wearing blindfolds?”

His question remains unanswered as the ringing of the background music grows louder. The scene cuts into the view of the blindfold, and all they can hear is the labored panting of the woman. They approach a string, and she grabs onto it, following it to the edge of the river. She begins counting her steps, and there’s a sudden change in music that makes Bad’s insides feel uneasy.

“Zak… I’m not sure if I like this movie,” Bad mumbles, curling up in the blankets as he feels a chill run down his spine. He shudders. Skeppy doesn’t acknowledge it, and he glances from his friend back to the movie before deciding to simply rely on the blankets for comfort.

They reach the river, and the woman begins feeling around for something before ultimately flipping over a boat, pushing it out onto the water. The music is ominous as she rows on the river, and it does nothing to ease Bad’s unsettled nerves. The movie cuts to a close up of the water, and the words ‘Bird Box’ fade in. He glances to Skeppy and the scene fades to black. Skeppy finally turns to look at him with a mischievous grin and Bad suddenly regrets allowing Skeppy to choose the movie.

~~~

“ZAK!” 

Skeppy pauses the movie, turning to look at Bad. “What is it?”

“This is-- I don’t wanna watch this movie!” Bad replies, shaking as he curls up on himself, hugging a pillow to his chest. 

“But it has really good reviews! Here, look,” Skeppy says, pulling out his phone to google the movie. He shows the phone to Bad, who inevitably skips over the review section as his eyes flicker to the genre. 

“Zak!” Bad whines, shoving the phone back to Skeppy.

“What?”

“This is a horror movie! I don’t like horror movies! I told you that!”

“But-”

“Zak, no! Can we please watch something else?” 

“This movie came out two years ago, Darryl, I’ve been meaning to watch it. What other time is better than when I’m with you?”

“Any other time?” Bad replies, as if the answer is obvious, “Watch it alone if you really wanna watch it. I really don’t do well with horror movies. They scare me a lot, Zak.”

“But I wanna watch it with you,” Skeppy whines, pouting as he puts on his best pleading face for Bad. He feels his face heat up as Skeppy leans towards him, his lower lip quivering as if he’d cry if Bad refused to watch the movie with him. Bad bites his lip, and sighs in reluctance. He’s so far gone, and he knows it.

“Fine,” Bad groans, throwing his head back in annoyance. “But we’re watching a happy movie after so I don’t have nightmares.”

“Haha, yes!” Skeppy cheers, his face immediately lighting up at Bad’s words. He sends him a bright smile. “Don’t worry, Darryl, I’ll protect you.”

Bad feels his heart flutter as he falls for the boy all over again. He nods, leaning closer towards his friend, making the reasonable amount of space between them smaller. “Okay,” he says, and his voice is quiet, a mere whisper as Skeppy leans towards him too. It doesn’t mean anything, and it never will, but Bad pretends that there’s something more as Skeppy starts the movie up again.

~~~

Unsurprisingly, Bad ends up pressed up fully against Skeppy’s side forty minutes into the movie. He hides his face in the blankets, only allowing his eyes to pop out so he can view the movie. He’s shaking slightly, and Skeppy doesn’t fail to notice Bad’s distress. He presses himself against Bad as well, offering him a sense of comfort that he isn't alone. 

“The poor kids,” Bad murmurs, watching as Boy and Girl rock on the boat. “She should’ve given them actual names.”

Skeppy hums.

There’s another sound that comes from the woods, and Bad tenses. “Oh no…”

The sounds of branches cracking continue, and Boy and Girl are alert as they try to pinpoint the source of the sound. Bad begins shaking again (he’d already established the two as his favorite characters-- he didn’t like Malorie all that much) before he feels Skeppy’s hand slip into his own.

“Zak?” he asks, slightly breathless as he feels his face heat up. He wonders if Skeppy can feel the heat from his face.

“You seem scared,” Skeppy replies, as if the gesture is normal. He is oblivious to the way Bad’s skin burns at the contact.

Bad nods slightly. “Okay,” he says. “Thanks.”

They avoid eye contact as the movie continues, but Bad can’t bring himself to focus with his hands intertwined with Skeppy’s. Eventually, he brings his gaze back to the screen, feeling an unmistakable urge to see if Skeppy is looking at him, but he holds back. They sit in silence with their hands together tightly, and Bad knows he’s leaning even closer to Skeppy as Malorie returns to Boy and Girl.

~~~

Boy, or Tom, now that the two kids have been named (“Took you long enough!” Bad yells at the TV, but he’s smiling at the scene, and it’s enough to make Skeppy smile too, even if he thinks the name ‘Tom’ is rather plain), walks to the box where the little bird stayed. He opens it and ushers the bird out.

_ “Go on, now.” _

“Aww!” Bad says, his head tilting to the side as he unintentionally squeezes Skeppy’s hand. Skeppy squeezes back, and while the action is unexpected, it’s not unwelcomed. Bad keeps his eyes on the screen just because he knows his face is flushed. His smile stays soft, and he pretends it’s only because of the movie and not because Skeppy has started to rub his thumb softly around Bad’s hand in comforting circles. 

Rick comes up behind Malorie, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.  _ “Are they both yours?”  _ he asks.

Malorie smiles through her tears, proudly watching as Olympia (formerly known as Girl) and Tom look around happily in their new world. 

_ “Yes. I’m their mother.” _

The screen fades to black, and Bad feels hot tears running down his cheeks. He wipes them away as he sniffles. “That was a good movie.”

“I told you!” Skeppy replies proudly, before backtracking at the sight of his friend. “Darryl? Are you-- are you  _ crying _ ?!”

“Shush, you muffin!” Bad says, laughing through his tears, “I’m a very emotional person!”

“Yeah, but- You know what, never mind. Want me to get you some tissues?”

Bad doesn’t want Skeppy to let go. He doesn’t want to lose the warmth of Skeppy’s hand, but his nose is beginning to run more as his tears continue flowing, so he reluctantly nods. Skeppy untangles his hand from Bad’s, and Bad nearly whines at the loss of warmth in his hand. Skeppy returns a few moments later with a tissue box, and Bad accepts it gratefully, blowing his nose. He throws it in the trash bin and stretches, yawning. 

“Wait- are you still wearing my hoodie?” 

Bad feels his cheeks burn, and suddenly the hoodie feels extremely hot on him. “Uhm, I think you mean  _ my _ hoodie,” Bad replies, sticking his tongue out at Skeppy. “You gave it to me, didn’t you?”

Skeppy shrugs. “I guess. But we didn’t change today.”

Bad raises an eyebrow. “So?”

“Never mind,” he sighs. “Anyway, what now?”

“We can watch some more movies,” Bad suggests, “I can make some more popcorn.”

“Okay. What genre this time?”

“I think I wanna watch a silly action movie.”

“An action movie?” Skeppy says, questionably. Bad nods, his face genuine and serious. “If you say so.”

~~~

In the middle of Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse, their hands find their way to one another again. Bad gently lays his head on Skeppy’s shoulder as he continues making offhand comments about the movie, to which Skeppy would hum in acknowledgement or make a dumb joke. He waits for Skeppy to push his head off or move away, but nothing happens except him leaning into Bad as well, and Bad pushes down the amount of butterflies he feels with Skeppy pressing against his body as if they’re lovers.

He doesn’t pay much attention to the movie, which results in double the amount of questions. Skeppy doesn’t seem to mind, though, as his mind was seemingly elsewhere as well. Bad makes a mental note to rewatch the movie later, when Skeppy isn’t there, so he could actually focus.

Nonetheless, he feels content as he leans more into Skeppy’s warmth, their fingers interlaced. They fall asleep in the same position many hours later, gentle smiles on their faces. Rat curls up on their laps, and Bad can’t deny just how familiar and  _ right  _ it felt to be with Skeppy like this. Skeppy doesn’t feel the same way about him, and he knows it. He still dreams, though, and he pretends that Skeppy feels the same way as he wraps his arm around his waist and leans into his touch. He pretends that he has everything that will never be.

(He wonders if Skeppy does too.)

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you guys enjoyed!!!! i probably got the dialogue for BirdBox wrong, as i watched the five minute preview on youtube before i realized that i could search up the transcript, and it's different, but at that point, i was too lazy to redo it. when they're watching later on in the movie, so not the beginning, i did use the transcript and my memory of the movie, so that's probably more accurate. sorry!!! (￣ω￣;)
> 
> if you noticed bad talking a lot, then you probably noticed that i do believe that he's the type of person to continuously ask questions or make comments during a movie to settle his own nerves, but once it gets to a part with high anticipation, he'd stay silent. it might be just me tho haha 
> 
> they're gonna have sore necks in the morning lmao. it's not comfy to fall asleep like that at all. 
> 
> before you leave: have a lovely rest of your day/night, and remember that there's always a reason to smile!! ily! (づ￣ ³￣)づ ♡
> 
> ~donut （°々°）
> 
> ♪┏(・o･)┛♪┗ ( ･o･) ┓♪┏ ( ･o･) ┛♪┗ (･o･ ) ┓♪┏(･o･)┛♪


	4. Day Three (Tuesday)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They deal with the aftermath of being dumb pining idiots who slept on the couch last night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoops- this chapter's out a tinyyyyyy bit later than usual! sorry! (￣ω￣;)
> 
> ANYways... today's chapter is fluffy, and a few chapters ago, someone asked for some action... well, there's some action in this chapter.... (somewhat). it's 1k words longer than usual and OMG theres so many cliches here :DD 
> 
> as these first few chapters are still kinda getting the plot set up, i cannot express to you just how excited i am for the next few chapters to come out and for me to write them in general!! somehow, i've been able to write one chapter per day, so i'm like... one chapter ahead of schedule now... i'm hoping to make that two chapters ahead soon! 
> 
> i'm so glad you guys are enjoying the story so far!! i hope you like this chapter as well! ٩( ^ᴗ^ )۶
> 
> ~donut

Bad wakes up with a sore neck. It takes him a while to jump back to reality, the bleariness of the warmth he’s engulfed in seemingly takes over his body. He almost drifts off to sleep just as soon as he’d woken up, but as his eyes flutter closed, he can’t help but notice the way his hand is bunched up in a shirt that most definitely isn’t his. He blinks, once, twice, before he suddenly realises that the shirt has the same scent as the hoodie he wears does. 

In his tired state, he doesn’t seem to mind the position they’re in (he can barely comprehend it anyway), and he lays his head against Skeppy’s shoulder again, listening to the way Skeppy’s breathes, as if it’s a calming melody in the midst of the early morning. He glances up, admiring the way Skeppy looks as he sleeps. He’s peaceful, and it’s a welcomed change of pace compared to how he usually acts. He has a little bit of drool running down from his mouth, and he snores softly, but it’s endearing to Bad. More alert, Bad reaches for a tissue on the coffee table to wipe away the drool gently, being careful not to wake him up. Bad looks away from Skeppy’s sleeping form and his hand goes down to pet Rat, who’s also still asleep, curled up on both Skeppy and Bad’s lap. 

He doesn’t know how exactly that he didn’t notice before, but his hand is still intertwined with Skeppy’s. It makes his heart beat faster, as if they were meant to stay connected. It’s a farfetched thought, like the ones that come to him when he lays awake at night thinking about Skeppy. He wonders if fate brought them together, made it so that their hearts and souls would be connected forever, even through death. It’s these thoughts that make him hope that Skeppy would stay as a constant in his life forever, whether they’re dating or not. With his mind as foggy as it is in the early morning, he wonders if it’s true. It felt so  _ right _ when he and Skeppy first hugged each other in the airport merely three days ago, as if they were two pieces of a puzzle that needed to find each other, and the very thought makes Bad hope. It makes Bad think that maybe he and Skeppy are soulmates, with the way his hand fits perfectly into Skeppy’s, as if it was made just for Bad’s to hold. To be Skeppy’s soulmate… it’s a dream.

Bad falls asleep again, his thoughts luring him to the arms of sleep once more. His neck is still sore, but Skeppy’s warmth makes up for it. Skeppy makes everything better.

A few hours later, Skeppy wakes up before Bad, and as he tries to untangle their hands to get their day started, he wakes Bad up as well. Both their bodies are sore from the position they slept in, and Bad’s body aches from the sleeping position he spent so many hours in. He doesn’t regret it, despite the searing amounts of pain he feels when he tries to roll his neck or when his shoulders pulse from aching. 

They manage to make breakfast (Bad does, at least), which are just some pancakes that Bad quickly fries with his instant pancake mix. He gets the syrup out from the cupboard and serves it to Skeppy, two pancakes on both of their plates with a drizzle of syrup and whipped cream generously swirled on the top. He keeps the syrup on the table, because he knows that the amount he put on the pancakes aren't enough to flavor the dish.

They talk over the pancakes, which are soft and fluffy. It reminds Bad of the atmosphere he feels when he’s with Skeppy. It makes him feel warm and happy inside, and he feels himself turn to mush when he mixes with the sweetness of being with Skeppy. It’s intoxicating, and he always reaches for more, no matter how many times he may accidentally get burned or he takes too much when nothing is given back. He wants more, he craves it. He creates his own demise with his own longing for someone to feel the same way about him when he, himself, knows it’s impossible. He doesn’t know exactly why he allows himself to keep dreaming, or why he allows himself to hope when he thinks Skeppy’s touch lingers. It’s the little things that keep the fire in his heart aflame. It’s the way his skin burns when Skeppy holds his hand or the way he flies to cloud nine when Skeppy smiles at him. He keeps on hoping, and there are days when he knows he needs to give up, but he keeps hoping that maybe, just  _ maybe _ , Skeppy loves him back.

But Skeppy is untouchable. He is too far away, out of his reach, and his fingers can barely grasp at the hem of his shirt. Bad wonders if it’s better this way. To chase a dream he knows he cannot achieve. This way, at least, he gets to keep smiling, to keep laughing, to keep being with Skeppy, even if he doesn’t think of Bad the way Bad thinks of him. It is never worth the risk of losing Skeppy, because he has become reliant on Skeppy. He knows it’s silly to think Skeppy wouldn’t stay friends with him if Bad confesses his love, but there’s always that chance. It is that chance that makes him hold back from peppering Skeppy’s face with kisses when he sees Skeppy’s messy face from eating the pancakes too fast, because that small chance means absolutely everything.

He daydreams, even though he knows what reality holds. He dreams because he can.

~~~

“Ugh, Darryl... my back aches…” he complains again, and Bad sighs from where he washes the dishes at the sink. 

“I can’t do anything about that, Zak,” he replies, loading the dishwasher with the rest of the dishes. “My shoulders hurt too, actually.”

“Wait, you too?” Skeppy asks from the couch, his head turning to look at Bad with wide eyes.

“Um… yes?” Bad laughs slightly, “I fell asleep in a bad position too. We should’ve gone back to our own rooms last night so we could have more space in our own beds. Then you wouldn’t have had to fall asleep with me.”

“It… it wasn’t that bad sleeping with you,” Skeppy shrugs, looking away as he fiddles with his fingers. “I just think that maybe the couch wasn’t the best thing to sleep on.”

“Oh,” Bad says, and there’s a beat of silence that Bad doesn’t know what to do with. He sighs before he lights up with an idea. “Hey, I know how to get rid of the aching!” 

“With an ice pack?” Skeppy asks, “Do you even have any?”

“Wha-  _ Yes _ , I have ice packs, Zak, but I was thinking of a massage,” Bad smiles, “When my mom was tired from work as a kid, I’d give her a massage and an ice pack. It seemed to help her a lot, so it might work on us.”

“You must be an expert then,” Skeppy jokes.

“I am.”

Silence. “So… are we actually going to do this?” he asks.

Bad nods. “Lay down,” he instructs, and Skeppy complies. He rubs his hands together as he approaches Skeppy, but before he can begin, Skeppy stops him.

“Is it- Is it easier if I take my shirt off?”

Oh. Well, then. “W-what?”

“In all those… advertisements of spas. They usually don’t wear a shirt.”

“Oh.” There’s a moment of awkward silence. Bad  _ desperately _ wants to say yes. It feels as though Skeppy is acting as a siren, singing a sweet song to lure him into accepting his offer, or as though he plays as a snake, tempting him to choose what he so desperately wants. After a few more seconds of prolonged silence, Skeppy laughs awkwardly, shaking his head.

“Never mind, that was kinda weird, sorry-”

“No, wait,” Bad interrupts him. Oh. He didn’t mean to say that. Skeppy looks up at him, his lips parted slightly, and Bad chews on the inside of his cheek. He sighs. “It’s fine. You can take it off, it might feel better.”

He feels himself drowning as the siren pulls him under the water.

Skeppy nods and painstakingly slowly removes his shirt, allowing Bad to see the skin underneath. He sucks in a breath as his cheeks heat up and butterflies dance in his stomach. Skeppy doesn’t seem to be looking at Bad as he lays down on the couch, stomach down. Bad feels dizzy, the heat in his face almost becoming too much. It’s intoxicating. He should’ve said no. His lungs burn as he tries to swim to the surface.

“Darryl?”

“Oh, um-” Bad says, taking a moment to regain his composure. “Sorry. I just- give me a second.”

“Do you need me to put my shirt back on?” Skeppy asks, already grasping the fabric, and Bad watches as his arm slightly flexes. Skeppy isn’t well built like a bodybuilder, and his arms are rather thin, but there’s enough for a little bit of muscle to show when he bends his arm  _ just _ right. Bad hates himself for wanting to see more, but he still shakes his head in response to Skeppy’s question. No. He doesn’t wanna cover up the sight.

“It’s fine. I just have to go to the bathroom for a bit,” he replies, making an excuse and barely holding back from bolting to the bathroom to regain himself. Skeppy nods wordlessly and pulls out his phone to scroll through Twitter. His arm flexes from the action and Bad realises that he really does need to turn away before he drowns any deeper in the waters. 

As soon as Bad reaches the bathroom, he takes note of the terrible mess that he is. His face is flushed and his hair disheveled from his sleep (he hadn’t combed it yet). He feels his face burn as the memory of Skeppy’s smooth tan skin replays in his mind. He closes his eyes and shakes away the thoughts, and reopens his eyes to find his complexion even worse than it was a few minutes prior.

Hastily, so he doesn’t keep Skeppy waiting, he runs the water and splashes the cold liquid on his face to cool it down. He does it a few more times, and by the time he’s dried his face with a towel, he sighs in relief to see that the redness in his cheeks has gone down by an astronomical amount, and it’s good enough for him. He readies himself again before he steps out into the presence of Skeppy again.

“Ready?” He asks, and Skeppy nods and lays down again. Bad visibly gulps.

He steadies himself as he approaches his friend, his hands tentatively pressing down on Skepy’s muscles. Skeppy hisses a bit, and Bad lightens the amount of pressure he puts. There’s a sigh of relief, and Bad makes a mental note to himself that Skeppy’s muscles really are sore. He presses his thumbs into Skeppy’s shoulder blades, rolling his wrist so that he presses circles on the tense muscles.

“Your muscles are really tight,” Bad hums, and it’s more to himself. “I don’t even think mine are this bad. Didn’t we fall asleep in the same position?”

“Yeah,” Skeppy murmurs, “I guess it’s just been a while since I fell asleep like that.”

“But you’re a streamer,” Bad replies, “You usually spend a lot of time in the same position, right?”

Skeppy hums, pointedly not answering Bad’s questions. He decidedly gives up and chalks it up to Skeppy having not taken care of his muscles when they got too tight in the past, leading to it adding up to extremely tight muscles now. He moves his hands lower once he thinks Skeppy’s shoulders are more loose, and begins massaging Skeppy’s back, the area that had the most complaints. It’s really tight, and Bad has to press harder than he usually would to knead and loosen the muscles in that area.

“Your skin is actually really hot,” he muses, “You were only wearing like… a shirt, right? Why’s it so warm?”

“Oh. I- um, I don’t know. Maybe that’s a side effect of having a high cold tolerance?”

“I don’t think that’s how it works, Zak,” Bad replies, laughing.

“I think it is.”

They stay in silence for the rest of the duration of Skeppy’s massage, and Skeppy makes some sighs of relaxation and shoots Bad some compliments as he finishes up. Skeppy’s skin doesn’t cool down, even with the crisp autumn air of his house hitting him. Bad idly wonders if maybe Skeppy has a condition.

~~~

Skeppy is highly inexperienced in giving massages, Bad finds out. He has to demonstrate how exactly to roll your wrist, how to know how much pressure to apply, and how to knead the muscles that result in a satisfying massage. Skeppy continuously apologizes when Bad makes a hiss of discomfort or when Bad corrects him on how and where to place his hand. It takes a while, but Bad now lays comfortably on the couch, his eyes closed as Skeppy amateurly massages his back. It’s definitely not skillful, and he could definitely use some more practice, but as Bad gently speaks in low whispers directing Skeppy where to move his hands too, he feels content and relaxed as Skeppy loosens his tight muscles.

~~~

“Your skin was really hot,” Bad says, and Skeppy throws his head back in annoyance. It’s the fourth time Bad has brought up the subject an hour after they finished their massages.

“Darryl, I get it,” Skeppy replies, “It’s fine.”

“I really don’t think it is, Zak,” Bad replies, “You don’t understand how hot it was. You might have a condition or something.”

“A- a condition?!” Skeppy barks out, laughing. “I don’t have a  _ condition _ !”

“Then why was it so hot? It’s abnormal.”

“Having a warmer body temperature is  _ not _ abnormal!”

“But still! I’m worried,” Bad frowns. “Oh, how about we go take a walk? I still need to get Lucy out of the house since we didn’t walk her yesterday. We can get something to cool you down!”

Skeppy sighs. “Will it make you stop talking about my body heat?”

“Yes.”

“Fine, let’s go.”

~~~

They step out into the autumn air and take in a large breath of the fresh air in unison. Rat barks happily at being let out again, and they begin their walk down the sidewalk after Bad locks the door of his house. They aren’t bundled up, as the weather was determined to be around sixty degrees. Skeppy wears another one of his hoodies, though this time it’s more of a light grey. He has converse and blue jeans on and he keeps his hands in the pocket of his hoodie as they walk down the street. Bad has a red and white striped shirt on with a grey cardigan and black jeans. The tips of his ears turn red within the first twenty minutes of being outside, and he regrets not bringing something to warm himself up. Unlike Skeppy, Bad does  _ not _ have a high cold tolerance.

Rat prances down the street, occasionally tugging on the leash when she sees a squirrel, or barking at other dogs because she wants to make new friends. Bad relishes in the way that she acts as if she is a playful child. It’s endearing.

They stop outside of an ice cream store, and Bad raises an eyebrow at Skeppy, who’s already staring at the ice cream flavors as if he could make them come to him if he tried hard enough. Bad rolls his eyes playfully, approaching the woman at the counter.

“Can I have two medium scoops?” he asks, pulling out his wallet. 

The lady, Jacklyn, according to her name tag, nods. “Sure. What flavors?” 

“I’ll take a strawberry,” Bad says, and he turns to Skeppy to ask what flavor he wants, but his friend is too busy eying one of the flavors to register what Bad’s saying. He narrows his eyes and tries to pinpoint exactly what flavor Skeppy’s looking at before giving up and choosing a random one. “He’ll take a coconut.”

Jacklyn nods and moves over to the display of ice cream flavors to scoop up some ice cream for them. Bad places a hand on Skeppy’s shoulder and Skeppy looks up at him.

“I got you coconut. Is that okay?”

Skeppy smiles. “Right on.”

~~~

Their hands are interlaced and swinging back and forth on their way home. Rat walks slowly, tired out from the walk. Bad cleans up his ice cream, which is melting. The picture Skeppy takes of them goes unnoticed.

~~~

They arrive home and watch another movie over dinner, and Bad is reluctant to let Skeppy go again. It was so nice when they slept in each other’s warmth (excluding the fact that they woke up with sore muscles), and Bad craves to relive it again. They shower and stand awkwardly in the doorway, the both of them in their pyjamas. 

Skeppy bites his lip as if he wants to say something and is debating on it. Bad wonders if he wants the same thing as him. 

“Well,” Skeppy says, “Good night.”

Bad ignores the way his butterflies fall with disappointment and places a small smile on his face. “Good night,” he echos, giving Skeppy a hug before he turns to go back to his room.

Just as he goes to close his door for the night, Skeppy stops him. “Wait.”

Bad looks up at him with slightly parted lips, his eyes wide. “Yeah?” 

“Do you… um, do you wanna share a bed tonight?” Skeppy asks, avoiding eye contact with Bad. “It was just- it was really warm last night, and maybe you thought so too.”

He smiles, his eyes bright and sparkling at the change of events. “Okay.”

They go to the guest bedroom, and lay down a bit awkwardly as they stare up at the ceiling, their arms barely touching. Bad feels the heat from Skeppy’s body and sucks in a breath as he rolls under the covers, pulling Skeppy closer to him. He hears the way Skeppy’s breath hitches, but neither of them make any comment when Skeppy turns to hold Bad in a tight embrace. Lucy rolls up at the bottom of the bed by their feet, and Bad listens to the melodic sound of Skeppy’s breathing as it evens out, signifying that he’s fallen asleep. Bad admires how Skeppy looks in the moonlight, closing his eyes as he commits the picture to memory. He leans forward, placing a chaste kiss on Skeppy’s forehead. It’s silent and prolonged, and Skeppy doesn’t move, so Bad lets out a small sigh against Skeppy’s tuffs of hair. He feels safe in Skeppy’s arms. He feels loved, and so he dreams again, his heart beat rhythmically matching Skeppy’s.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :>  
> i'm soft lmao
> 
> as always, have a lovely day/night, and remember that there's always a reason to smile. love you guys! ( ＾◡＾)っ ♡
> 
> ~donut ᕕ( ᐛ ) ᕗ
> 
> ♪┏(・o･)┛♪┗ ( ･o･) ┓♪┏ ( ･o･) ┛♪┗ (･o･ ) ┓♪┏(･o･)┛♪


	5. Day Four (Wednesday)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's domestic, the way Skeppy interacts with him. He wants it to last forever. (basically some shameless tooth-rotting fluff to prepare you for the next chapter)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EYYYY IT'S DECEMBER THIRD GUYS!!! I DECLARE THIS DAY NATIONAL HEATHER DAY! (▼ω▼)
> 
> anyways. this is a fluffy chapter! that's all there is. it's just so. much. fluff. (✧ᗜ✧)
> 
> also skeppy's been uploading like... a *lot.* did he say something about this? i don't rly use twitter so idk lol. also, how bad are vurb's skephalo jokes getting? ( ´◑ω◐`) 
> 
> anyway... this chapter isn't out as late as it was yesterday bc i actually finished writing this one last night at like eleven lol and i've also got tomorrow chapter written and i'm hoping to get saturday's chapter done today too! (๑ ˃̵ᴗ ˂̵)و
> 
> enjoy! ＼\ ٩( ᐛ )و /／
> 
> ~donut ♡

Bad wakes up feeling warm. They haven’t moved much from their position last night, except that for any blankets that were over them previously were now on the floor or loosely wrapped around their waists. Rat hadn’t moved from her spot on the foot of the bed, and he notices how his legs are entangled with Skeppy’s, and Skeppy’s arms have only hugged him tighter throughout the night. His hands are bunched up in Skeppy’s shirt and he’s close enough so that he can faintly smell the aroma of Skeppy’s scent. He breathes it in because no one is looking. He feels safe as he lays in Skeppy’s arms.

Skeppy wakes up a few minutes later, blinking as his eyes adjust to the light. He looks down at Bad and as he register’s Bad’s presence, he holds him even closer. Bad feels his face burn, but he smiles into Skeppy’s shirt, feeling butterflies flutter in his stomach and his skin burn from where Skeppy holds him.

“Good morning,” Skeppy murmurs into Bad’s hair. He can feel the outline of where Skeppy’s mouth is on his head. The thought makes him dizzy.

“Good morning,” Bad replies, his voice somewhat hoarse. 

No more words are spoken as they both wake up, unmoving from the warm embrace they lay in. It feels as though time has stopped, and the only reason he knows he isn’t dreaming is because of the steady heartbeat he feels through Skeppy’s shirt, and the way his chest slowly rises and falls as he breathes. He wishes that he could lay in Skeppy’s embrace forever. Eventually, all things do come to an end as he feels Skeppy remove his arm from under Bad’s body. He sits up, and Bad reluctantly follows. 

He looks at Bad for a good minute, taking in every feature of him, and Bad does the same thing. Skeppy has terrible bed hair, Bad notices. It’s going every which way, and there appears to be multiple tangles in it. He has the urge to run his fingers through the locks and in his sleepy state, he doesn’t hold back. He allows his hand to tentatively pat the top of Skeppy’s head, sighing as he feels the soft texture.

Skeppy watches him, seemingly mesmerised as Bad continues to ruffle through his bed hair. Bad’s lips are slightly parted as he admires the feeling of running his hands through Skeppy’s hair. It’s so perfect. He gently untangles his hair, relishing in the way it eventually flows smoothly through his fingers. Skeppy takes his unoccupied hand and Bad’s eyes meet his. He feels his cheeks heat up into what he knows is most likely a rosy red. Skeppy bites his lip as he examine’s Bad’s face. Bad tries to follow his line of eyesight but it’s near impossible without his glasses.

Skeppy leans down, and Bad pulls him in for a hug, burying his face into the crook of his neck. Skeppy wraps his arms around Bad as well, sighing in what Bad assumes is content. They sit for a few more minutes before Bad pulls away, having almost fallen right back to sleep in their position. They climb out of bed and make their way to the kitchen, their hands intertwined. It’s domestic, and it allows Bad to hope. He pretends that this is something he can wake up to every day.

Bad’s too tired and dazed to make an intricate meal, so he simply pours some oatmeal and milk into two boals to warm up. He watches the microwave from the counter, Skeppy right next to him, a cup of water in his hand. Bad lays his head on Skeppy’s shoulder. The microwave beeps, and he pushes himself off of the counter to open the microwave. A cinnamon smell wafts out of the microwave, causing Skeppy’s stomach to growl from behind him. He looks down in embarrassment, but Bad just laughs under his breath as he takes both bowls out. 

They make their way to the dining table, and Bad picks up a spoonful of oatmeal, gently blowing on it to cool it down. He hears a camera shutter and looks up to see Skeppy holding up his phone, his face surprised. It quickly morphs into a sheepish smile as he pockets his phone.

“Zak, why’d you take a picture of me?” Bad whines, placing his spoon back in his bowl.

“It just felt right, I guess,” Skeppy shrugs, picking up his own spoon. He brings it to his mouth but hisses and recoils as soon as the hot oatmeal hits his lips. Bad snickers. He puts his spoon down again, stirring the oatmeal around, avoiding eye contact with Bad as he continues to speak. “I still can’t believe I’m here, to be honest,” he admits. “It’s almost as if I’m in a dream. The photos kinda remind me that I’m actually here, with you.” He smiles bashfully, looking up at Bad. “It reminds me that I know how it feels to hold you in my arms.”

“Oh,” Bad replies, feeling dumbstruck. It’s a stupid reply after Skeppy had just poured his heart out on the table, and Bad looks down at his oatmeal as he allows Skeppy’s words to wrap around his head. He bites back a smile, feeling butterflies fly up in his stomach. “I get that,” he says finally, looking up at Skeppy. “When you first arrived, it felt like a dream. It still is.”

Skeppy looks a bit surprised at first, but he smiles in response. “If it is, I don’t ever wanna wake up,” he whispers, grabbing Bad’s hand across the table. He has a hard time convincing himself that it’s a platonic gesture before he does something stupid, and his smile is shaky as his cheeks heat up. Bad squeezes Skeppy’s hand, and the moment ends with Rat’s barking. 

“Oh, shoot, I forgot to leave food out for Rat,” Bad says suddenly, and he releases Skeppy’s hand to go to the cabinet. As he pours Lucy some dog food and water, he can’t deny how cold his hand feels when it’s not in Skeppy’s.

He returns to the table to find Skeppy happily munching on the oatmeal which has cooled down in the time that he was gone. He doesn’t seem to have a care for how he looks, because there are stray pieces of oatmeal on the table and others around his mouth. Skeppy either didn’t care, or didn’t notice. Bad thinks it’s a combination of the two. Despite eating after Skeppy, the two somehow finish at the same time. Skeppy’s area is a mess, and he tries wiping off the oatmeal from the table.

He forgets about his face, though, and Bad laughs at him before he goes to get a paper towel, wetting it under the water from the faucet. He comes back and places his hand under Skeppy’s chin, tilting it up so that he can clean up Skeppy’s face. He watches Skeppy’s breath hitch, and wonders whether he’s making him uncomfortable. Nonetheless, Skeppy doesn’t pull away, so he wipes away the oatmeal pieces.

As he moves to pull back, he stops as Skeppy raises his hand to latch onto Bad’s wrist, keeping his hand in place. The paper towel is still wet, but Bad involuntarily drops it, allowing his hand to cup Skeppy’s cheek. The stare that bores into his eyes is just as intense, if not more, as the one he sends Skeppy as he admires his features. Skeppy’s face still burns against his hand, and he watches as Skeppy’s eyes examine his face, his gaze locked onto some areas for a bit longer than others. He mirrors Skeppy’s actions, noting all the little quirks of his best friend; the way he bites his lips and his eyebrows furrow-- the way his dark brown eyes allow him to lose himself in the mesmerizing orbs. 

Rat barks, interrupting the moment, and the atmosphere around them is broken. He blinks twice before he registers the intimacy of the situation and almost immediately backs away, picking up the fallen paper towel (he lets his gaze and hand linger for a mere moment more before he pulls away. It’s a short amount of time, but it feels much longer to Bad). He feels himself drowning in Skeppy’s eyes, even though he doesn’t see them anymore. The feeling is painful, but it keeps him coming back again and again. He allows himself to get pulled under once he meets Skeppy’s eyes again. They act as if the moment hadn’t happened, and Bad doesn’t know whether to be relieved or upset at the prospect.

~~~

Bad and Skeppy lounge on the couch, a reasonable distance between them. They’re each doing their own things, Bad working on  _ something _ on his laptop, and Skeppy scrolling through his timeline on Twitter. Rat curls up onto Skeppy’s lap, as Bad’s is occupied, and Skeppy seems surprised at the action before he coos at the dog, grabbing Bad’s attention. 

His heart melts as Skeppy puts his phone down to pick Rat up, lifting her to boop her nose with his own. He spurs out unintelligible noises, each one getting higher and higher in octaves as he continues spoiling the white dog with loving nonsense. He presses a kiss to Rat’s nose, and she licks it almost immediately, making Skeppy giggle. Bad grabs his phone to snap a photo, capturing the moment into his device forever. He looks at the photo for a moment, smiling stupidly at his phone as he admires the soft expression Skeppy wears and the absolute obliviousness on Rat’s face. He sighs softly, placing his phone down, going back to his work on his laptop.

(He sneaks one last look at Skeppy before going back to work, and finds that the tanner male has placed Lucy on his lap, and is stroking her fur gently, lulling the lively dog to a calm manner. Skeppy continues scrolling on his phone, oblivious to the adoring stare Bad gives him at the domesticity of the scene. Bad wants it to last forever. He never wants Skeppy to leave.)

~~~

“Hey, Darryl,” Skeppy calls from where Bad is editing a video. 

Bad hums in acknowledgement. “Yeah, Zak?” he says, though his attention is still on the video he’s editing. It’s another attempt at giving Skeppy his own medicine with a troll-- though Skeppy sees right through it halfway through the video, which leads to Skeppy playing along and Bad ultimately getting trolled ( again ). He wonders what he should call the video.

“I know you’re busy, so would you mind if I gave Rat her walk today?”

That grabs Bad’s attention. He snaps his head over to look at Skeppy who has Rat at his feet. He ponders the idea for a moment. Skeppy can be responsible, and he knows that. He takes Rocco on walks back home, so  _ surely _ he knows how to keep Rat safe. It seems like it should be a good deal-- he does have to finish editing this, and it needs to be out by that evening (procrastination got the best of him when Skeppy arrived). The only thing he’s worried about is Skeppy getting lost in a town he doesn’t know.

“I wouldn’t mind,” Bad replies, “But won’t you get lost? You’ve really only been out there twice.”

Skeppy waves his hand noncommittally. “I’ll be fine. I’ll just use Google Maps.”

Bad raises an eyebrow, narrowing his eyes at his friend. He relents at the sight of Rat and Skeppy giving him puppy dog eyes-- it reminds him of how he and his dad used to look at his mom when trying to convince her to let them get ice cream after dinner. “Okay, fine. Just be back in like… an hour, and make sure you  _ call  _ me if you get lost.”

“You got it!” Skeppy grins, and Bad turns around, a fond smile gracing his lips. He hears the jingle of Skeppy attaching Rat’s leash to her collar and hears the door open. He feels a gentle gust of the cool air hit him. The door doesn’t close immediately, and he turns to find Skeppy fidgeting with the leash as he mumbles to himself.

“Zak?” he asks.

“Yeah? Oh, um, yeah, I’ll be going soon,” he says, “ _ But _ … if I don’t make it back-” Bad gives him a glare, as if to say, ‘Don’t say that. You better bring Rat back.’ “I want you to know that I love you.”

He says it jokingly, giving Bad a lopsided smile, yet it still manages to make Bad’s heart flutter and his face to burn. He sputters out a response, trying to decide what would be the best way to react. “You  _ will _ make it back, Zak. Don’t be dramatic.”

“Aw, you’re not going to say it back?” Skeppy responds, his voice akin to a whine. It does nothing to help the burn on Bad’s cheeks.

Bad turns his head away from the pouting face, sighing as he rubs his cheeks to try and lower the intensity of the blush. “I love you too, Zak,” he says, and he’s proud of himself for not letting his voice break. “Now shoo. Rat has a walk to go on.”

“Alright, bye!” Skeppy calls, closing the door behind him. Bad stares at his screen in a daze before he slaps his hands onto his face to hide the rapidly reddining flush, despite nobody being there to judge him. He lets out a noise that’s between a groan and a sigh, leaning back against the couch. The exchange was so domestic. He wanted to hear Skeppy say that again and again.

_ I love you. I love you. I love you. _

Skeppy’s voice continued to replay in Bad’s head, and he bit his lip. He wishes Skeppy had meant it the way he wanted him to. He wishes he could wake up every day as he did this morning, in Skeppy’s arms. He wishes for so much.

Alas, wishes are distracting. He pushes them away as he continues to edit his video. Wishes are made and pondered around at night. He’d have his time soon enough.

~~~

Skeppy returns a few hours later, and Bad gives him a knowing look. Skeppy doesn’t admit to having gotten lost, and Bad doesn’t ask him about it. It’s a mutual understanding, and Skeppy’s obviously too prideful to even try explaining that he had trouble retracing his steps. Bad doesn’t comment, simply because he knows that now, he has an upper hand against Skeppy. They order takeout for dinner, as Bad is too tired to cook, and Skeppy (concerningly) doesn’t know how.

(He claims he does, but Bad really just doesn’t trust him in his kitchen,  _ alone. _ It’s a scary thought to entertain.)

They watch one episode of Riverdale, and while they don’t pay attention for the most part, it’s not bad for background noise as they talk. The two make their way to bed together, and Rat runs through their legs and hops on the bed. The two hadn’t talked about whether what happened last night would be a one time thing, but by the time they laid in bed next to each other, there was a mutual agreement that it wasn’t. 

  
Bad falls asleep first this time, and he doesn’t know when, but his hand had somehow found its way to Skeppy’s. The feeling warms up his whole body, and he doesn’t feel cold the entire night, even when the blankets are accidentally kicked off. No, when he’s with Skeppy, he can only feel  _ warmth _ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> flufffffffffffffffffff 
> 
> random, but i actually don't like the show riverdale,,,, (ಥ﹏ಥ) its just that i've read the actual comics they're based off of and WHAT THE FUCK DID THEY DO TO IT AIJFDSLKDFSLJ-
> 
> also random, but this chapter was written whilst listening to a one hour loop of everybody talks.（°々°）
> 
> ANYway.... as always, i hope you enjoyed, have a *lovely* rest of your day, and remember that there's always a reason to smile!! （*´▽｀*）
> 
> I LOVE YOU GUYS <3
> 
> ~donut ( ＾◡＾)っ ♡
> 
> ♪┏(・o･)┛♪┗ ( ･o･) ┓♪┏ ( ･o･) ┛♪┗ (･o･ ) ┓♪┏(･o･)┛♪


	6. Day Five (Thursday)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the angst tag becomes relevant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LOOK I GAVE YOU LOADS OF FLUFF YESTERDAY AND THE ANGST TAG WAS GOING TO BE USED SOONER OR LATER
> 
> I'm sorry. (ಥ﹏ಥ)
> 
> ~donut ( •̩̩̩́ _ •̩̩̩̀)っ♡

Bad wakes up cold. It’s strange, considered that last night, he’d just felt so warm, and it’s different to how he’d usually awoken the past few days. He blames it on the autumn weather, and rolls over to curl up to a figure that isn’t there. He keeps uncoordinatedly waving his arm around, trying to find what has been his source of heat in bed for the past few nights, only to find that Skeppy wasn’t there. He murmurs his name, only to receive no response. He blinks a few times, and though his vision is certainly blurry, he rolls around to find that Skeppy wasn’t in the room at all, nor anywhere in proximity. Surprised by the conclusion that Skeppy, in fact, was nowhere in sight, he sits up blearily, rubbing his eyes as he yawns. Rat is still curled up on the foot of the bed, and as he wakes up, Bad pets her softly, the warm fur calming his nerves. He gets out of bed and stretches, reaching for his glasses. As the world becomes clearer, he becomes certain that Skeppy is nowhere to be seen. He leaves the room, shivering slightly against the fall weather. It’s cold.

Skeppy isn’t in the bathroom, and he’s not in the kitchen or the living room. Despite never showing Skeppy it, he checks his basement and office as well, only to find that the house is utterly Skeppy-less.

He sits on the couch, a cup of coffee in hand. He racks his brain to try and figure out where on earth his best friend could’ve gone, in the middle of the night no less. He glances at his watch. It’s 3:58. His mind runs wild, as it usually does when he stays up for a bit too late. He loses the ability to filter his thoughts, and finds himself wondering if Skeppy had somehow been kidnapped in the midst of his sleep.

After a while, though, he shuts the idea down. Skeppy probably just took a walk outside. But what if he got lost again? That’s how people get kidnapped. He bites his nails, a habit that he’d grown to have whenever he finds himself getting nervous. His legs are bouncing as he continues to ponder Skeppy’s disappearance.

It hits him suddenly. Outside. He’d never checked  _ outside _ . Almost as soon as he has the revelation, he puts his cup of coffee down and opens his door to find Skeppy sitting on the steps that lead up to his house, obviously dazed and lost in thought. The man is shivering a bit, but he looks lost as he blankly stares at the cars driving past the street in the early morning.

“Zak?” Bad whispers, causing the tanner male to jump in surprise. He looks back to find Bad awkwardly standing in front of his door, a worried look on his face. “What are you doing out here?”

Skeppy doesn’t answer right away, and Bad goes to sit next to him. “I needed some fresh air,” he finally replies, avoiding eye contact with Bad.

Bad nods, although he wants Skeppy to go on. He doesn’t, though, and Bad nudges him slightly, causing him to look at him. “Why?”

Skeppy sighs, and a puff of fog escapes as his breath leaves his lips. He shivers again, and Bad realises that he doesn’t know exactly how long Skeppy’s been out here. “I’ll be right back,” He says, and doesn’t wait for a response as he goes inside to find one of Skeppy’s hoodies for him and he grabs one of his own. He takes a blanket outside, sitting down again next to Skeppy and hands him his hoodie.

“You seem cold,” he explains at Skeppy’s confused expression. Skeppy nods and mutters a soft, “Oh,” before gratefully taking the hoodie and slipping it over his head. Bad inches closer to him, wrapping the blanket around the both of them. He intertwines his fingers with Skeppy’s, rubbing comforting circles around the back of his hand as they gaze up at the sky.

“How many stars can you see?” Bad asks, his voice quiet as Skeppy leans into his newfound heat source. 

“There’s not many,” Skeppy replies, “But I think there’s… one, two, three, four, five, and… six.”

“No, there’s only five. That’s an airplane, Zak,” Bad snickers, “It’s moving and blinking, see?”

“Oh.”

They sit in silence again, but Bad feels that the air around them is tense, unlike the silence that he usually enjoys sitting in with Skeppy. “Sometimes I wish I didn’t live in a suburban area. That way I could see the stars whenever I want.”

Skeppy looks at Bad, but he still stares at the sky. “I used to take hiking trips with my family. We’d go to the top of the hill and camp out there, and then my dad would point out all the constellations to me. I only remember a few, though.”

Skeppy doesn’t respond, instead, he continues looking up at the sky, even though there’s really not much to see. After a few more minutes of silence, Bad leans his head onto Skeppy’s shoulder, and Skeppy hesitantly does the same, the two boys huddled together. Their hands are still clasped together, and their knees bump slightly as Bad huddles closer to Skeppy.

“I came out here because I had a nightmare,” Skeppy finally admits, and Bad stays silent as he waits for Skeppy to continue.

“It wasn’t that bad, even.” He laughs dryly. “I don’t know why I’m so upset over it. It makes me feel so weak.”

Bad squeezes his hand as an action of comfort. “You’re not weak, Zak,” he murmurs, his voice gentle and kind. “What happened in your nightmare?”

“It was… um-” Skeppy stutters slightly, avoiding eye contact with Bad. “It was- there were lots of people. Who I, um, care about. And then I’d try to touch them, like I tried to run to say hi to Finn, and then he’d give me this… look, before he slaps my hand away, and for some reason it stings, and then he like… turns to dust.

“It happened with everybody else, too. I tried to reach out to everyone, Spifey, TapL, heck, even Mega was there! But then they all kinda gave me this look, and then one of them pushed me away, another one kicked the side of my leg, and then I was on the ground, and surrounded by a circle of everyone’s dust, and then my mom and dad approached me. They didn’t even say anything, but they just… they glared at me like I was the cause of all their problems, like I don’t deserve everything I have. And it reminded me of when I’d get a bad grade, except this was worse, because I used to try and hug them, but this time, as soon as I touched them, they just crumpled and faded away, like I was a… a poison.

“And then the worst part of it came. You weren’t there for any of it, but then you like, stepped out of the shadows and then you crouched down as if to hug me, and I tried to get away, but then you kept on coming towards me and you kept talking, but I can’t really remember what you were saying, and then you finally got to me and you started fading away and then you glared at me and said--”

He cuts himself off, and Bad looks at him worriedly. “What? What did I say?”

“I- I can’t remember. It hurt a lot, though.”

Bad doesn’t believe him for a second, but he still turns Skeppy to look at him, rubbing a consoling hand on his shoulder. “Well, whatever I said,” he mutters, “I would never say it to you. I love you a lot, Zak. Don’t worry about anyone leaving you, because everyone who is in your life cares about you so much. I’ll never let you feel alone. I promise.”

“That’s… that’s a big promise to make, Darryl,” he replies, laughing slightly. He sniffles, and Bad wipes away the tears that have made their way down his face during his rant.

“It’s okay,” Bad whispers, “I’d do anything for you.”

Skeppy sighs, leaning into Bad’s warmth for comfort. “Thank you,” he murmurs, sniffling still.

“Of course,” Bad replies, but Skeppy’s fallen asleep against Bad’s shoulder. He sighs, ruffling the tanner male’s hair a little bit before carefully adjusting their positions to become more comfortable. Skeppy curls up in his arms, and Bad leans his back against the railing of the steps, comfortably leaning back with Skeppy in his lap. He looks at his watch again. It’s almost five, and he presses a gentle kiss to the mess of Skeppy’s hair, watching the world go by as he holds Skeppy in his arms. 

~~~

They wake up a few hours later, and Bad’s face feels cold, but the rest of his body is warm, as Skeppy had begun hugging him in his sleep. He shakes Skeppy awake, and his heart breaks at the tired expression he wears. His eyes are puffy and his cheeks red from crying. He looks so  _ worn _ . He gently pulls Skeppy inside the house, and sits him down on the couch. Skeppy falls asleep again almost immediately, and Bad idly wonders  _ just _ how long he was sitting out there before he’d found him. He wraps Skeppy up in a blanket and turns on the T.V to find some show to watch. His coffee still sits on the coffee table, and Skeppy lays his head in Bad’s lap. He picks up the coffee, which has gone cold by now, but he still sips it anyway as he plays with Skeppy’s hair. The coffee doesn’t taste too good, but he’s never been one to waste food, so he continues to sip the drink as the day goes on. 

The show he watches isn’t interesting enough to hold his attention, so he scrolls through Twitter for most of the day, liking some posts of fanart or from his friends, or making silly tweets of his own. Twitter has noticed the lack of posts that both he and Skeppy make, but he decides not to comment on anything, as to not leak any information. He finds it enjoyable to keep his fans guessing, even if most of them have gotten it spot on. The way some of their fans go out of their way to analyze every little detail makes him conflicted on whether to call them creepy or determined. He decides they’re all a little bit of both. 

They don’t do much for the rest of the day. Bad takes Rat out on her walk, but he returns right back to Skeppy as soon as he gets home, and they binge a few shows together while eating the leftovers from the previous night’s take out. Skeppy doesn’t seem to leave Bad’s side for the rest of the day, except for when he goes to the bathroom. 

As they climb into bed at the end of their lazy day, instead of Skeppy holding Bad, Bad holds Skeppy, giving the taller male a sense of comfort as he drifts off to sleep. Bad waits for Skeppy to fall asleep, watching over him protectively. They mutter soft and sweet nothings to each other, Bad trying to ease his friend to sleep. After an hour of sweet loving words spoken back and forth, Bad watches with a soft smile as Skeppy’s eyes flutter closed, his breathing evening out as he succumbs to the land of dreams. It’s a peaceful sight, to be sure, and he feels the bed dip slightly as Rat joins them at her signature spot at the foot of the bed. He smiles at the sight, pressing another feather-light kiss to the temple of Skeppy’s forehead, allowing his lips to linger simply because there was no one there to judge him. Skeppy’s skin is warm, and he pulls him closer as he feels himself drift off to sleep, a soft smile dancing on his face. Skeppy doesn’t leave the bed that night, just because he feels so warm and comforted that the nightmare never even comes. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also national heather day just went by and i'm still single and not a heather (i'd prefer the former tho ty) so i call scam
> 
> IM SORRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY 
> 
> ily guys sm and i hope you have a lovely rest of your day/night, and also remember that theres always a reason to smile but um there'll be lots of fluff next chapter IM STILL SORRY-
> 
> ~donut (´；ω；`)
> 
> ♪┏(・o･)┛♪┗ ( ･o･) ┓♪┏ ( ･o･) ┛♪┗ (･o･ ) ┓♪┏(･o･)┛♪


	7. Day Six (Friday)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A SkepHalo fic without a muffin baking scene? exCUSE me?! just gotta fix that real quick...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HERE'S YOUR FIRST UPDATE OF THE DAY! :D
> 
> i'll post the second update of the day in like a few hours, but i hope you enjoy what *would* have been yesterday's update, had they not given me a FUCKING TEST ON THE WEEKEND ESHDFIKJDSFLKJDSFKL:JFDS
> 
> AND THEY STILL GAVE ME LOADS OF HOMEWORK-
> 
> ok anyway I'm not gonna keep complaining. BUT- THANK YOU ALL FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT!!! you guys were *so* understanding yesterday, and i got LOADS of good luck wishes. i kept all of your sweet messages in mind as i took the test, so THANK YOU!!!
> 
> ok i should stop rambling, but... i hope you enjoy your daily dose of fluff!
> 
> ~donut

Bad wakes up slowly, his mind still foggy as the events of yesterday catch up to him. Skeppy’s already awake, and he scrolls through Twitter despite still being in Bad’s arms. Bad yawns, and Skeppy turns off his phone to look at him. 

“Morning,” he says, and his eyes are wide, no sign of any night trauma behind them. The thought makes Bad smile.

“Morning,” Bad replies, still tired. “You slept well last night?”

Skeppy stays silent before he answers. It makes Bad look at him worriedly. “I did.”

Bad nods. They stay in silence for a little longer. The atmosphere reminds him of what it’s like after an earthquake. There’s still the aftershock, and Bad and Skeppy are yet to pull through this last arc of this event. 

“Thank you,” Skeppy says.

Bad isn’t sure exactly what Skeppy’s thanking him for, but he’d feel bad if he asked what Skeppy was thankful for. Instead, he responds accordingly, and he feels a sense of solidarity as the words leave his lips even if he’s not sure why he’s saying them.

“You’re welcome.”

The atmosphere breaks, and they both get out of bed and ready for the day. The aftershocks are far from over, but they’ve gotten through the first wave, and that’s enough for Bad.

Breakfast isn’t as relaxed as the ones were prior to this, but it’s also not as tense, and for that, Bad is thankful. They have bacon and scrambled eggs, and Bad spends most of the meal pondering over what to do. Skeppy’s obviously too tired to have another outing-- he’s pretty sure he is too. They’ve already watched lots of movies on Netflix, and the pastime was beginning to get a bit boring. Bad sits down on the couch, and Skeppy does the same, except he’s scrolling through Twitter. 

“Pfft- Hey, Darryl, look at this,” Skeppy says, and Bad snaps out of his trance to glance at whatever Skeppy has to show him on his phone. It’s a cute animatic of them baking muffins-- or more specifically,  _ Bad _ baking muffins-- before Skeppy jumps in and starts cussing. Bad frowns.

“That’s mean! Language!” he replies, laughing slightly.

“What do you mean?  _ I  _ didn’t do that,” Skeppy laughs along with him.

“It is a really good animation, though. Can you send me the link?” 

“Sure,” Skeppy says, and Bad gets a notification a few seconds later. He likes the tweet and retweets it, before turning off his phone. It isn’t until ten minutes later that he has an epiphany and an idea clicks.

“Zak!” Bad exclaims, jumping off of the couch with excitement, “I know what we should do today!”

“What?” Skeppy asks, his eyes wide as he accepts the hand Bad holds out for him to get up. 

“We’ve had all this talk about meeting up and baking muffins, but we’ve never  _ actually _ made muffins! We should totally do it!”

“Ohh,” Skeppy grins, “Okay.”

~~~

“Wait, do you even know what to get?” Bad asks, pulling the recipe out of his tray. He decides to make blueberry muffins, as he’s pretty sure it’s Skeppy’s favorite. 

“Nope,” Skeppy replies joyfully, “But I’m sure I’ll figure it out.”

“Uhm, no you won’t,” Bad chuckles, “Here, I’ll just yell out what we need, and you can bring them out for me.”

“Alright,” he agrees, and he jumps off of the counter to enter the pantry. “Woah, you’ve got so many chips! Why didn’t you bring these out during the movie- wait, are these all pickle flavored chips?”

Bad blushes. “Uhm,” he says, “Yes.”

Silence. Bad hears Skeppy chuckling from inside of the pantry, and he bites his lip as he suppresses his own smile, even though Skeppy can’t see him. “Anyway,” he yells, muffling the laughter coming from Skeppy, “I need flour. Grab the sugar and salt too, if you see it.”

“Got it,” Bad hears Skeppy say, and he stumbles out of the pantry with the said ingredients in his arms. He places each of the items on the counter. 

“Perfect. Now we need some…” He glances down at his list, “baking powder, cinnamon and vegetable oil. Those are in the cabinet over there.” He points to an overhead cabinet above the counter. Skeppy opens it and hands Bad the vegetable oil, but spends more time rummaging through the mess of items before he sighs.

“I don’t see the cinnamon or the baking powder,” he admits, looking at Bad in confusion. “Are you sure they’re placed there?”

Bad sputters. “Yes, I’m sure! The baking powder is there, and so is--” His eyes widen in realisation. “Oh, the cinnamon isn’t there, it’s with the spices…”

Skeppy laughs. “You don’t even know your own kitchen!”

Bad glares at him in response. “Yes, I do! I know the baking powder is in there, at least. The spices are in that drawer over there.” He points to a drawer on the other side of the kitchen. Skeppy walks over and picks up a few bottles to read the labels before walking back with the cinnamon in hand.

“I really don’t think the baking powder is in there, though,” he says, looking up at the cabinet again, scanning for the said ingredient. Bad sighs. 

“Well, I really do think the baking powder is in there,” Bad replies, going up on his tippy-toes to grab the can. He sets it down on the countertop.

“Wait-- That’s not baking powder! Doesn’t it come in a cardboard box?” Skeppy exclaims, pointing at the can in bewilderment. It takes a moment for Bad to register what Skeppy’s said before he laughs, clutching his sides as he doubles over.

“What?” Skeppy whines almost immediately, “Why’re you laughing? That’s not baking powder! It comes in the orange box thingy with a fist on it or something!”

“No,” Bad shakes his head as he recovers himself from his laughing fit. “That,” he says, pointing to the can, “Is baking powder. What you’re thinking of is baking  _ soda _ .”

Skeppy’s eyes go wide as he begins waving his hands around frantically. “They’re not the same thing?!”

Bad begins laughing again at Skeppy’s exaggerated response. “They’re different. Baking powder does have baking soda in it, though.”

“My whole life has been a lie,” Skeppy mutters, slumping against the counter. 

Bad pats his back consolingly. “It’s not that bad. Everyone mixes those two up.”

Skeppy mutters something incoherent, and it’s so quiet, Bad’s almost sure Skeppy didn’t even reply. He simply shakes his head as he goes to open the fridge to grab butter, an egg, a carton of milk, and blueberries that he’d been saving to put in his pancakes and muffins.

“Alright, are you ready to start now?” He says, placing everything onto the counter. Skeppy’s head pops up and he nods. Bad laughs. “First, we need to preheat the oven to 400º F. Do you know how to do that?”

Skeppy rolls his eyes. “Of course I know,” he replies, and he goes over to the oven to preheat it. “What temperature again?”

“400º F,” Bad answers, “What color do you want the muffin liners to be?”

Skeppy thinks for a moment. “Let’s do blue and red,” he grins. Bad nods as he pulls out the muffin liners and tosses them onto the counter. He grabs the trays as well as two mixing bowls and a spatula. 

“Alright, now we need to add 1 ½ cups of flour,” Bad says, handing the measuring cup to Skeppy. Skeppy takes it and looks at Bad, who’s giving him an expectant look. “Don’t you wanna try it?” Bad asks.

Skeppy laughs. “Are you sure you wanna trust me?”

Bad thinks for a moment. “I… I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt. Besides, you won’t ever learn unless you try. I’ll help you if you fail.”

Skeppy bites his lip but complies, trying to carefully sift the flour into the cup. It goes well, but he doesn’t even it out, and Bad realises it’s going to be too much.

“Is this good?”

“Almost,” Bad replies, “You need to kinda shake it to even it out, since it’s kinda poured in a pyramid which isn’t the exact amount of what we need.” He grabs Skeppy’s hand from behind, ignoring the way he feels his heart beating fast as he presses his back against Skeppy’s. He prays he can’t hear or feel his heart as it jumps out of his chest.

He places his hand gently atop of Skeppy’s, lightly sifting the measuring cup. Skeppy’s tense under his hold, and his skin is abnormally warm again.

“Loosen up,” he mutters, “It’s never gonna get even if you keep your grip so firm. Either it won’t, or you’ll spill it everywhere.”

“Right.”

Skeppy’s grip loosens slightly, and it’s still a bit too tight for Bad’s taste, but they manage to even the flour out, so he ignores the feeling. “Now it’s too much, right? We should pour out some flour back into the bag.”

Skeppy nods, though he bites his lip as he completes the action. “Perfect!” Bad exclaims, “Okay, pour it into the bowl.”

He follows his instructions as they finish the dry mixture, and suddenly they’re having a playful argument over who gets to add in the eggs.

“But what if you get some egg shells in! It’ll take forever to take out because it’ll mix with the white of the milk!”

“Aren’t you the one who told me that I needed to practice?! I’ve made eggs before!”

“Without having to remove any broken shell pieces?”

“W-well, yeah! I have, so suck it!”

“That’s mean,” he replies, frowning. He crosses his arms as he sighs. “Fine, you can do it.”

Skeppy beams. “Fuck yes!” 

Bad cringes at the use of language. He doesn’t get a chance to reprimand him before he waves him off. “Yeah, yeah, language. But either way,  _ yes _ !”

He excitedly takes the egg and Bad chews the inside of his cheek as Skeppy slowly drags out the process to add suspense. He hits the side of the bowl, and Bad tries his hardest to not facepalm as the egg cracks and shells get in the milk and some of the egg misses the bowl.

“Whoops.”

Bad doesn’t hold back from audibly groaning. “Okay, mister, you’re off of wet mixture duties. You can make the crumb topping.”

“Sorry,” he says, smiling sheepishly. Bad doesn’t have it in him to stay mad for much longer at the apologetic gaze cast upon him. 

He sighs. “It’s okay. The crumb topping recipe is on the little index card that we’ve been following.”

“Okay.”

They work in silence for the rest of the time, no more mishaps occurring (except for when Skeppy tries to aggressively mix the batter because Bad was being ‘too slow.’ Needless to say, the clean up would be excruciating). They pop the muffins into the oven, and Bad leans back against the counter. 

“Now we can clean up while we wait for like… twenty minutes,” he explains, already grabbing the butter and the milk carton. Skeppy nods and gets the cinnamon to put away. Bad wets a paper towel with water to wipe down the counter, placing the mixing bowls in the sink. 

“Darryl,” Skeppy calls, and Bad turns around from where he’s put the baking powder away. 

“Ye- Okay, don’t you dare, you potato,” he warns, laughing slightly as he backs away. Skeppy holds a hand behind his back, and Bad’s certain it’s a handful of flour. His back hits the counter, and he feels around for the flour bag to grab a handful of his own. Skeppy approaches him, leaving a hair of distance between them.

“I’m not doing anything,” Skeppy grins, and Bad notices the way he raises his eyebrow, and he subtly licks his lips to remoisten them. He can make out every feature of Skeppy’s face and he scans his face as he notices his chocolate eyes become dazed as he studies Bad’s face as well. He drops his arm to his side and lifts his hand up to cup Bad’s cheek, causing him to redden catastrophically. He takes the moment as a distraction as Skeppy leans in a bit closer, shoving the flour under his shirt. It causes him to back away from Bad, before he notices the new substance underneath the fabric of his shirt. He looks down, up at Bad, and back down, before he doubles over in laughter, his laughs and giggles becoming more hysteric every second. It causes Bad to join in on his laughter, trying not to think about what could’ve happened if he hadn’t chickened out. Skeppy leaning in was purely a coincidence, surely. He probably only examined Bad’s face because he was still so surprised to be with him after only knowing him online. 

Skeppy hits him with a handful of flour of his own, giggling. Bad smirks. “Oh, it is  _ on _ . Get ready to get muffined.” He grabs another handful and chucks it at his friend, dusting the tanner male in another layer of powder. Skeppy doesn’t hesitate in attacking him as well.

~~~

Bad and Skeppy look at their reflections in the mirror. Their hair is covered in layers of flour, their faces and skin soft from the powder. Bad begins chuckling as the situation truly dawns on them, and Skeppy joins in. They laugh at the sight of their faces, and Bad pulls out his phone to snap a picture as Skeppy continues to laugh. He feels his cheeks heat up as he admires his best friend. 

Skeppy’s eyes are squinted so much from laughing that they look closed, and he grins so widely as he laughs. The flour adorns his face and hair, and his clothes are coated in the powder. Nonetheless, he looks like a beautiful mess as he laughs under the bathroom lights, his giggles filling Bad’s entire being with joy. It’s completely unfair as to how attractive his friend can look. He’s cast under a spell, entranced by every sound his friend makes, the way his body convulses with laughter. His heart flutters.

He checks his phone and his eyes widen at the time. “It’s been thirty minutes! No!”

They rush over to remove the muffins from the oven. He lets out a breath of relief. The muffins aren’t burned, thankfully, but they seem to be just a bit overcooked. He places them onto the counter and closes the oven, turning it off. He turns to Skeppy, who grins.

“It’s muffin time?”

It was meant to be a leisurely activity, to help blow over the rest of the aftershocks from yesterday. Baking muffins has always been an enjoyable pastime for Bad, and he was almost certain that it would be the same with Skeppy. It is, at first. Then, there’s butterflies and blushing faces and flour filled hair, and Bad isn’t quite sure how he’s gotten there, but he doesn’t mind when he sees the bright smile on Skeppy’s face. They have blown the earthquake over after all. 

~~~

They eat the muffins after Bad heats up some pasta for them to eat for dinner (cleaning and baking took longer with two people, to Bad’s surprise). They are just a bit burned after all, but Skeppy seems to enjoy them, and Bad reminds himself that how Skeppy feels is what matters. They take Lucy out for a late night walk, and watch a movie before they slip into bed with each other. They face each other and talk in hushed whispers, Rat at the bottom of the bed. Bad watches as Skeppy’s eyes flutter closed, his breathing evening out as he falls asleep. He looks pretty.

Bad shifts in his position, staring up at the ceiling as he recollects his thoughts from the day. Skeppy did lean in, didn’t he? It could have just as easily been a distraction, but that doesn’t explain the way he gently cupped his cheek, and it doesn’t explain the way his eyes slightly fluttered shut as he leaned closer. But he couldn’t have meant it in the way that Bad wanted him to, could he?

The last time he checked, everything was always a joke. No matter how much it hurt, it was always going to just be a joke. That was the firm truth, the said reality. Yet the way Skeppy leaned closer shifts reality. Bad feels his face heat up. If he hadn’t pushed Skeppy away, what would have happened? He sighs, not allowing his thoughts to wander as to how warm Skeppy’s lips might feel on his own, or perhaps even how chapped they were. He turns away from Skeppy, not trusting himself to sleep if he glanced at the face of his (unfairly) beautiful best friend.

The thoughts stay with him late into the night, but he won’t admit that. He falls asleep eventually, only to dream of soft lips and sugary muffins. His insides feel warm as Skeppy unconsciously engulfs him in a hug, and they both wear soft smiles as they rest.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)
> 
> well i kinda have to go back to writing what today's actual chapter is, then going to write tomorrows chapter, so... i'll see you guys again soon, in like a few hours!! but also, SKEPPY READ THE SMUT FANFIC IN HIS NEWEST VIDEO LIKE WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
> 
> OUT OF ALL GENRES OF FANFIC IT WAS A SMUT. HE COULD'VE READ AN ANGST, HE COULD'VE READ A FLUFF, BUT NOOOOOOOO. HE READS A *SMUT*. WHAT KIND OF LIFE CHOICES DOES HE MAKE AND AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-
> 
> also i should probably add a tag that says probably OOC bc he was kinda commenting about how 'he's not clingy' and it makes me scared bc like YKNOW ITS AWKWARD IF THE CHARACTERS ARE OFF AND THESE CHARACTERS ARE PROBABLY OFF SINCE I MADE THEM SO SOFT LMAO
> 
> anyways this is such a long end note- idk why. ALSO TOMMY GOT EXILEDDDDDD :0 IDK HOW TO FEEL ABT IT TBH BUT IM EXCITED TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT LMAO
> 
> has anyone made a fanfic of the disastrous dundy wedding? well idk how disastrous it was compared to other weddings tbh but like i'd love to read a oneshot on that or something. 
> 
> OH AND ONE MORE THING BEFORE I DO MY USUAL GOODBYE, UM- i've never baked muffins before. cookies, yes. cake, yes. but then again, it's been like years since i did either of those since, um, my oven's broken... so-
> 
> i kinda just did it based off of the recipe i found online, so... here it is! i tried to choose the best rated recipe, and this one's like 4.6 out of 5 stars with over 14k reviews, so I'm trusting that it's good! if you wanna try it out yourself, then here's the link to the recipe: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/6865/to-die-for-blueberry-muffins/ 
> 
> OK WELL UM- i hope you guys enjoyed, i'll see you again in a few hours but have a lovely time until then, and remember that there's always a reason to smile!!!
> 
> ~donut
> 
> ♪┏(・o･)┛♪┗ ( ･o･) ┓♪┏ ( ･o･) ┛♪┗ (･o･ ) ┓♪┏(･o･)┛♪


	8. Day Seven (Saturday)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They have outside responsibilities to attend to, although this might be the only time they actually pay attention to them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UPDATE NUMERO DOS!!!!! EYYYYYYYYYYY
> 
> ok we are officially now HALFWAY done with fourteen (14) days!! i can't believe it omg!!!!!!
> 
> the next upcoming chapters are SO exciting to write. like the development will just SKY ROCKET
> 
> do you know what that means??? probably not, but um... like, i do love me some jealousboyhalo and jelly skeppy....
> 
> ~donut

Bad wakes up tangled in Skeppy’s arms, and he really wouldn’t have minded if it weren't for his dreams of the previous night. As carefully as he can, he untangles himself from Skeppy’s hold, going to make a coffee to calm his nerves. A few minutes later, Skeppy wakes up. 

“Is that coffee?”

“Yeah,” Bad replies, taking a long sip.

“No wonder you’re so short,” he snickers.

Bad glares. “Look, coffee is one of the only reasons I’m even able to stay awake in the morning. And I’m not that short.”

“That’s what they all say…” he teases.

“I’m like  _ one _ inch shorter than you!”

“One inch too many, Darryl. One inch too many.”

Bad shakes his head, but a fond smile is still present on his face. He hides it by taking another sip of his coffee, but he’s pretty sure Skeppy’s seen it nonetheless. 

“I have to stream today, though,” Bad says, “Are you going to join?”

“Are you doing facecam?” 

Bad narrows his eyes. “No… I don’t really do facecam anymore, you know that.” 

“I’ll only join if you do a facecam,” Skeppy replies, pouring a cup of water for himself. He walks around the kitchen as if he’s lived there his whole life. It feels as though Skeppy can stay forever.

“Why?”

“Because,” Skeppy grins, taking the cup of coffee out of Bad’s hands gently, “I’m sure everyone would wanna see this pretty face.” Bad blushes at his words, but it’s masked under Skeppy pinching his cheeks and stretching them out. 

“Zak-” he says, but his words are muffled, “Stop, Zak-”

Skeppy relents, letting go of Bad’s cheeks. “C’mon, please?”

Bad sighs, picking up his mug again to hide his smile. “Fine.”

~~~

“Hey guys! Welcome to today’s stream-” He looks to check the chat.

**damf1no_deat:** oh my god its a face cam

**popinjay4:** SLJKDFDSFKJ FACECAM OMG OMG

**snawf:** BADBOYHAO FACECAM?????

**robinsmanass:** dare i ask for a rat cam?

He laughs at the way the chat explodes, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “Yep,  _ someone _ convinced me to do a face cam today. We might get a rat cam, we’ll see,” he smiles.

**coltbalt:** BLESS WHOEVER DID THAT

**herringk:** it’s skeppy bet

**badmiton:** AHHHHHHHHHH BBH SUPREMACY ❤️❤️❤️❤️

“Okay, today I’m going to be… hosting an event, so let’s get into my server real quick…”

~~~

_ “bbh i love you and your videos sm but anyway when are you going to be meeting up with skeppy?” _

“Awe, thank you, Elle Playz, for the dono! About meeting up with Skeppy, we shall see.” He tries to hide his smile, but he seemingly fails as his chat picks up on it.

**yeaibegaykeepscrolling:** he’s smiling :0

**1-800-ishipit:** HES SMILING GUYS HE HAS HE ALREADY HAS OMG

“You guys don’t have to worry,” Skeppy says, jumping into the frame, “I broke into his house!”

Bad screams, throwing his headphones off as Skeppy laughs in the background, and the chat goes ballistic. 

“Z-Geppy!” he yells, placing his headphones back on, “You can’t scare me like that!”

“I said I’d join your stream today,” he grins cheekily.

“I thought you meant on teamspeak!” 

“Do you really think I’d have brought my computer?”

They look at each other.

“Yes?”

“Okay, so maybe I did bring my computer. But whatever, this is better, right?”

“We didn’t even talk about coming out,” Bad replies, “But I guess this works.”

“W-wait,” Skeppy laughs, “Did you say coming out?!”

“Yeah, like, saying that we’ve met up.”

They stare at each other again, Skeppy shaking his head as he laughs, Bad confused. “What? What is it? Did I say something?”

“Chat, he didn’t mean it like that,” Skeppy says, ignoring Bad’s questions.

“Don’t ignore me, you fatty!”

“Oh, wanna know who’s taller?”

“NO,” he exclaims, his face red, “They don’t wanna see that!”

“I’m seeing some ‘yes’s’ in the chat, Bad.”

“They’re memeing!”

“Uh huh. C’mon, Bad, aren’t you  _ so _ tall?”

Bad huffs, adjusting his camera as he stands up next to Skeppy. The height difference isn’t as subtle as he wishes it was and he hides his face in his hands as the chat begins spamming #shortboyhalo.

“Who’s taller, Bad?” Skeppy teases, placing his arm around Bad’s shoulder. Bad doesn’t respond, instead shaking his head. “C’mon, you admitted it earlier.”

“I-I’m taller than you still,” he argues weakly, his face red as Skeppy laughs.

“How? The chat can see it.”

“You’re on your tippy-toes!”

“I am  _ not _ . I bet  _ you’re _ on your tippy-toes.”

“I’m not!”

“C’mon Bad, I’ll say I love you if you say I’m taller.”

“We’re not Dream and George now, are we?” Bad asks, exasperated.

“I guess not,” he shrugs, “You know you wanna hear it anyway.”

“No, you say it off camera, I’ve heard it enough.” 

No, he hadn’t. He hadn’t heard the words enough, and he was conflicted with whether or not he should ask for him to say it, should it calm his heart. 

“Your choice,” Skeppy replies, “Anyway, now that I’ve hijacked Bad’s stream, who wants to see us do… a Minecraft challenge! Hey, Ant, can you handle the event?”

Bad sighs as he readjusts his camera and rests his head atop of Skeppy’s. “Give me my stream back,” he pouts.

“Nope. Hey, do you have a blindfold? I’ll tell you where to go and then you do follow my instructions.”

He lets out a groan, despite knowing he’s already agreed. “Fine, I’ll go check. Be right back.”

~~~

“BAD, NO STOP, YOU’RE GOING TO RUN INTO A CREEPER,” Skeppy screeches, and Bad sighs, trying to go the opposite way. 

“Okay, crisis averted. Oh, there’s an enderman, go forward!”

“Skeppy, I can’t fight an enderman!”

“Yes, you can, I believe in you,” Skeppy replies, “Shit-”

“Language!”

“Sorry- um, you looked it in the eyes.”

“WHAT?! GEPPY!” 

“I DON’T BELIEVE IN YOU ANYMORE, BAD, RUN!”

“You  _ muffinhead _ ,” he grumbles as he tries running away into where he came from. 

  
“There’s a lava pool-”

Bad takes off the blindfold, sighing. The screen shows the typical ‘You died!’ screen, and he turns to glare at Skeppy, who’s laughing behind his hand. “Okay, it’s your turn now. That was  _ terrible _ .”

“Alright, fine, let’s watch a  _ professional _ do it.”

“Chat, tell him he’s gonna fail.”

“NO!”

~~~

Skeppy, like Bad, ultimately fails the challenge (it’s disastrous-- Skeppy won’t stop trolling, even as he’s leaving all his dignity with Bad to tell him where to go or what to do), much to Bad’s delight. They end the stream soon after, and Bad opens his discord to find many messages being spammed from friends who are questioning the two. They get into a call with everyone.

“Hey guy-”

“BAD!” Dream, George, and Sapnap all yell at once, as if they’re one person, “You met up with Skeppy?!”

Bad flinches slightly. “Yes?...”

“And you didn’t tell us?!” Dream says, before anyone can say anything else, “I can’t believe you!”

Their argument is interrupted with another person joining the call. “So… have you confessed your undying love for each other yet?”

“Ugh, it’s the toe guy,” Skeppy jokes, while Bad waves at the screen even though nobody can see him. “Hi, Vurb!”

Finn, Zelk, TapL, and Spifey join the call as well a few moments after, and they all sit in silence.

“Are you two dating yet?”

Bad and Skeppy simultaneously sputter. “No!” “Why would we be dating?”

There’s a chorus of groans on the other side of the call, and Bad pouts. “What’s wrong?”

“Bad,” Sapnap says, “Please tell me you didn’t just ask, ‘Why would we be dating?’”

Bad laughs. “I did, though.”

There’s more annoyed groans, and Skeppy has to stifle his laughter at the confused look on Bad’s face. “Guys, he’s so confused!”

“It’s a stupid question, though!” Spifey interrupts, “How are you guys like… not making out by now?”

Bad blushes. “Why would we be making out?”

“Because you  _ love _ each other!”

“You guys are just being silly potatoes,” he replies, avoiding Skeppy’s gaze. He’s never been good at lying.

“HE’S NOT DENYING IT! FINN, CLIP IT!”

“WE’RE NOT ON TWITCH!”

~~~

Bad and Skeppy leave the call a few hours later, the both of them sitting as they watch T.V. It’s a cheesy romantic comedy, and Bad doesn’t really know why they’re watching it. A scene where a girl walks into a ball begins to play and Bad feels himself swaying to the music.

“Do you dance?” 

He pauses, looking at Skeppy. “No. I mean, I learned ballroom dancing once because I was invited to some fancy wedding, but that’s about it.”

“Oh.” Silence. “Can you teach me?”

Bad laughs. “Teach you how to ballroom dance?”

“I mean, sure. I’m kinda bored anyway.”

He pauses. Finally, he replies. “Sure.” 

Bad grabs the remote to exit out of the movie before going to YouTube and searching up a ballroom dancing playlist. He clicks on the first one and nods his head to the beat as he listens to the first few seconds of it. He stands up and holds a hand out to Skeppy, who tentatively takes it even though he was the one to ask for the lessons.

They giggle slightly as Bad directs Skeppy as to where to put his arms and his hands. He places one of Skeppy’s arm around his neck and holds his other hand with his own. He places an arm around Skeppy’s waist, and begins swaying them to the music. It’s rocky at first, because Skeppy’s overly tense as they move.

“You need to loosen up,” he mutters, looking down to avoid eye contact. His skin burns where he holds Skeppy and is praying that he can’t hear or feel how fast his heart is beating, or the ringing in his ears that drown out the music. 

Skeppy follows Bad’s lead as they sway around the living room floor, and as time goes on, Skeppy gets the hang of it, and their movements become more fluid, their swaying slowly becoming a dance. They laugh as the music guides their movements, and suddenly Bad feels himself getting lifted up in the air slightly as Skeppy twirls him. His face is red, but he could care less as he breathlessly laughs in Skeppy’s arms. The younger male takes control of their dance, and their positions are switched so Bad’s arm is around Skeppy’s neck, and Skeppy’s is gently laid on his waist. Bad gets twirled around and continuously falls back into Skeppy’s arms. He feels a bit dizzy, but he barely feels it because he feels so light headed as Skeppy continues dancing around the room. Rat dances around at their feet, and they giggle as they try to avoid stepping on the dog. 

The music starts to fall to a close, and their dance slows down as well. They continue swaying, their bodies connected as the music slows down.

“I’m going to dip you, is that okay?” Skeppy asks, and Bad only nods breathlessly because he can’t trust his voice to speak. 

Skeppy does as he says, and as the song ends, Bad feels himself get spun around before Skeppy leans down, dipping him. Their hands are still intertwined and Bad feels his chest heaving slightly as he gazes into Skeppy’s eyes. They’re both out of breath, but their pants come out silent as Skeppy examines Bad’s face, a loose grin on his mouth. Bad feels his face burn and he thinks he feels light headed as Skeppy untangles their hands to cup Bad’s cheek. Bad only grabs a fistful of Skeppy’s shirt, and they don’t move to get any closer to one another as they simply pour all the unspoken words to each other through their eyes. 

Bad thinks he’s drowning as Skeppy’s eyes continue tracing his face, and his hand moves to go around his neck to hold himself up. He closes his eyes to commit the scene to memory, how it feels to be in such an intimate position with Skeppy so he can dream about it at night, so he can remember how it feels since he’ll never get it again. 

Suddenly, Rat comes barreling over, and Skeppy loses his footing before they both topple to the ground. They hit the ground with a loud  _ thump _ , and Bad groans. His face is scrunched up in mild pain and Skeppy uses his arms to get off of Bad, but they both open their eyes at the same time. The realisation comes slowly-- Bad doesn’t notice the way Skeppy basically towers over him as he holds himself up with his hands. They continue staring at each other for a few minutes longer, and Bad can’t help but think about how pretty Skeppy looks. His face is flushed from exhaustion from dancing, and his eyes study Bad’s face like how Bad studies his. His eyes are a beautiful color. They remind Bad of dark chocolate, and he feels himself melt with sweetness as he admires the pretty color. Skeppy practically glows in the evening light, the only light source being from the windows and the T.V. 

_ I really want to kiss him _ , he thinks, and just as the thought passes through his mind, Rat barks. 

Skeppy rolls off of Bad, laughing, and Bad does too. The moment is forgotten, and Bad shoves the entire memory to the back of his mind for him to ponder over and relive later. Instead of the strange atmosphere they’d created during their dance, he feels as though the air is light as Rat prances around them barking. The room is filled with the sounds of laughing and barking, and Bad feels content.

~~~

A few hours later, after a filling dinner, they both make their way to the bathroom separately. Skeppy showers first, and Bad follows. They brush their teeth together, tired eyes looking back at them in the mirror. When they finally lay down in bed, conversations take over them.

“It’s been a week since I arrived,” Skeppy whispers, his hands gently tracing Bad’s fingers. They’re lying down, side by side, facing each other and Skeppy traces the lines on Bad’s palm. It’s both an exhilarating and a calming action. 

“It feels like you’ve been here for forever,” Bad mutters, keeping his voice quiet so as to not ruin the calming air they’ve created around themselves. 

“It feels like I can stay forever,” Skeppy muses. Bad agrees. He’s quiet before he adds, “I’m going to miss you when I leave.”

Bad frowns, shaking his head. “Don’t think that way,” he says, wrapping Skeppy up in a hug. He buries his face into the crook of Skeppy’s neck, his heart beating rapidly as he takes in the aroma that Skeppy gives. He smells of Bad’s shampoo, and it makes him feel giddy inside. “You’re still here for seven more days. You’re not gone yet.”

Skeppy stays silent. “Yeah.”

They don’t talk for much more after that, instead basking in the comfort of each other, the fact that they’re here with each other. Bad feels safe as Skeppy’s grip tightens while he falls asleep, succumbing to the music he faintly hears in his ears. He dreams of twirling and dancing and dipping as he envisions soft kisses and gentle smiles. He’s so undeniably happy, the music flowing through his ears and through the night.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WELP THATS MY WRITING QUOTA FOR TODAY LMAO
> 
> I HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOYED, THANK YOU FOR READING, HAVE A LOVELY DAY/NIGHT, AND REMEMBER THAT THERE'S ALWAYS A REASON TO SMILE!!! ILY!
> 
> ~donut
> 
> ♪┏(・o･)┛♪┗ ( ･o･) ┓♪┏ ( ･o･) ┛♪┗ (･o･ ) ┓♪┏(･o･)┛♪


	9. Day Eight (Sunday)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You didn't expect the vlog to come out as soon as it did, but you're not complaining. (I MIGHT REWRITE THIS ONE AFTER THE BOOK FINISHES)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FUCK. I'M SO SO SORRYYYYYYYY 
> 
> OKAY SO BASICALLY-
> 
> i was recently hit with a writers worst enemy. writer's block. (dun dun dunnnnnn)
> 
> and then i was able to finish a chapter, but it sucked! like it was terrible! so, i tried to rewrite it, and then i just couldn't make it flow or get it to work! so, i go to sleep, praying for your forgiveness because i legitimately couldn't write. so then, i wake up, and i still can't write!! so it took me like two or three days to get an idea that i actually like, and then i was able to write it today. i'm so sorry.
> 
> anyway, enough of that, i'm here with today's chapter notes! today's chapter is written a bit differently! i hope you guys like it!
> 
> ~donut

It’s a Sunday evening when you get the notification that Skeppy’s made an upload. You idly wonder if it’s going to be something to do with BadBoyHalo, as just yesterday, they revealed that they’ve met up. Archive of Our Own and Wattpad had promptly exploded at the news, new fanfics or oneshots coming out at every refresh. YouTube animatics had come out whilst the stream was still going on, and somehow, #skephalomeetup had gotten trending on Twitter a few hours after the end of the stream. The thought was amusing to you. 

You’ve already rewatched clips of when Skeppy hops onto Bad’s stream again and again, and even though you know that them actually getting together is like an unachievable dream, you find it fun to imagine how’d they confess after holding it in for who knows how long. You’re still respectful though, and read your fanfics and watch your animatics in silence. Their friendship makes you smile, and as long as they’re together, it’s enough for you.

The video is titled, “14 Hours With Skephalo.” Despite knowing that Skeppy obviously means the title as a joke, you find yourself smiling to yourself as you relax in your bed, clicking on the video. All the shippers are going to look too far into it for sure.

Instead of Skeppy’s usual intro, the video immediately shows Bad’s face, covered with little drawings. Skeppy’s laughter and giggles are audible in the background and the camera shakes. In the corner of the frame, you see Skeppy’s hand, holding a black marker. You feel yourself smiling as you put two and two together, holding a hand over your face to suppress giggles even though no one can see you. 

_ “Oh, crap, he’s waking up,”  _ Skeppy says, and you anticipate Bad’s reaction.

You don’t get to watch Bad waking up, which makes you frown a bit in confusion, but the thought is easily brushed away as the scene immediately cuts to Bad screaming,  _ “Skeppy!” _ in the bathroom as he takes a good look at Skeppy’s handiwork.

The words _Quack,_ _14_ , and _Bald_ are written all over his face, with a few messy drawings of ducks, magnifying glasses, and Japanese symbol for beginner’s sprinkled here and there. You laugh into your pillow, laying on your stomach and resting your chin on the soft pillow. The phone is being held in front of you as you wrap the blankets over your body. 

_ “Is it permanent marker?”  _ Bad asks, leaning down to wash the marker off. Skeppy doesn’t respond, which causes Bad to look back at Skeppy in fear. 

_ “Uh…” _

_ “Geppy!” _ he cries out, immediately splashing water on his face to wipe away the marker. The interaction makes you giggle, and you scroll down to the comments to read them as the video plays. The marker does come off, and Bad hits Skeppy’s arms a few times in retaliation to the small prank that was played on him, but he’s smiling. Being able to see both of their reactions in real time makes you smile. Twitter’s going to have a field day analyzing this entire video for sure. 

The video pauses, and there’s an effect on it that makes it look like the video is ‘paused.’ Skeppy’s actual intro starts, with a voice over. 

_ “So, BadBoyHalo kidnapped me-” _

_ “I did not!” _

Skeppy laughs. You realise that nothing about this video is going to be like any other video, from the intro to the content. It’s fitting, in your mind. After all, it’s a rather special event for the two. 

_ “He did. I’m trapped in his basement-” _

_ “You’re literally sitting on my bed as you record this, Skeppy.” _

You raise your eyebrows and laugh. That’s going to be reuploaded. You can practically see it. “New Skephalo Moments from the Skephalo Meet Up!” The video would be useless in your opinion. You’re sure that the entire video is Skephalo in itself.

Skeppy laughs.  _ “Phrasing, Bad!” _

Bad doesn’t respond.  _ “Anyway, this is gonna be a short intro, so I hope you guys enjoy, and if you do, consider giving this video a thumbs up! Also, according to YouTube analytics, you should subscribe. See? Right there. Subscribe. It would seriously help me out a ton, and we just hit four million subscribers recently! Oh, and you can subscribe to Bad’s channel too if you want. Links in the description.” _

There’s an editor's note that you’re sure Skeppy put on purpose that reads in all caps, “SUBSCRIBE TO BADBOYHALO NOW OR NO MUFFINS.” You laugh. Quickly, you mark the timestamp and comment, “bold of you to assume we’re not already subscribed to bbh.”

The video cuts to a close up of the food that Bad cooks, which are just some sausage patties with scrambled eggs.

_ “Bad.” _ _  
  
_

_ “Baddddd,”  _ Skeppy whines.

_ “Yes, Skeppy?” _

_ “What are you making?” _

_ “Can’t you see?”  _ Bad asks, incredulous. You laugh.

_ “You need to explain to our viewers, though.” _

Bad sighs.  _ “I’m making some sausages and scrambled eggs for breakfast.” _ _  
  
_

_ “I’m doing a zoom in.” _

_ “Skeppy, I need space-” _

_ “Shh…” _

You hear Bad sigh in the background. Skeppy tries to get a good shot of Bad’s face, but Bad glares at him playfully as he covers the camera with his hand. 

The next scene is of Skeppy eating the food, practically shoveling it all into his mouth. He’s obviously unaware that Bad’s recording him. 

_ “Hey, Skeppy,”  _ Bad says,  _ “Is the food good?” _

_ “Is that even a question at this point?”  _ Skeppy asks, not looking up from his plate,  _ “I tell you about how much I love your cooking every day.” _

The idea makes you smile. You feel your heart feel warmer at the idea. They’re so wholesome that it physically burns. 

_ “Tell the viewers that,”  _ Bad giggles. The camera shakes.

_ “Bad’s cooking is literally to die for,” _ Skeppy says,  _ “And I get to taste it and you don’t.” _

You scoff. There are some comments that have that moment as a timestamp and either sobbing faces or a keyboard smash. You feel your stomach grumble. Oh. The video is making you a bit hungry.

_ “Don’t be mean, Skeppy,”  _ Bad says, and the scene gets cut off.

The video shows Skeppy and Bad sitting next to each other on the couch, staring into the camera. After a moment of silence, they burst out laughing. You giggle too, into your pillow. Their interactions never fail to make you smile.

_ “Okay, so, today, what are we doing, Bad?” _

Bad sputters.  _ “I don’t know what we’re doing! You didn’t tell me anything!” _

Skeppy laughs.  _ “We are… drumroll, please?” _

Bad imitates a drumroll by quickly leaning forward and slapping his hands on the coffee table. 

_ “Doing a best friend tag!” _

_ “Ooh! Those are fun!”  _ Bad smiles. 

Skeppy pulls out his phone and reads the first question.  _ “Okay, this is easy. What’s my full name?” _

You raise your eyebrows skeptically. These questions could get rather personal.  _ “Zak Ahmed, right?”  _ Bad answers. Skeppy nods. For some reason, your mind travels back to when the fandom had practically dubbed Skeppy’s last name to be Carder, and that was all that appeared in fanfics. The way the tag was changed almost immediately on AO3 scares you a bit, to be honest.

_ “Yeah, and you’re Darryl Noves-”  _ Skeppy stammers over how to pronounce Bad’s last name. You laugh, before realising that you, yourself, don’t exactly know how to pronounce his last name either. Eh. No one will know.

Bad seems to find Skeppy’s poor attempts at pronouncing his name funny. He urges him on, hiding a smile as Skeppy continues to try and sound out Bad’s name. Finally, he relents.  _ “It’s Noveschosch,”  _ he says.

_ “Noveschosch?” _

_ “Yes!” _

A few more rounds of questions later, a certain question arises. Skeppy seems hesitant in asking it.  _ “What’s… what’s my sexuality?” _

You bite your lip. As much as you wanna know, Bad nor Skeppy look fully ready for the world to know the answer. You can already imagine the chaos this one part would bring. 

_ “I… I don’t think we know this one about each other.” _ Bad says. You grow more anxious. 

_ “Oh, alright. I’m-” _

Both of their confessions are cut out with a loud quack, and the screen goes black for a few seconds. You flinch, startled a bit by the change in dynamic, but relax as soon as both of their faces are visible again. They sit in front of a Wii, and you’re confused for a bit before you realise that the T.V screen shows Mario Kart. 

_ “Today, we’re going to have an  _ epic  _ battle to see who’s the champion of Mario Kart!” _ Skeppy cheers. 

_ “Spoilers, it’s going to be me,” _ Bad replies smugly. You find yourself grinning. The topic of Mario Kart hadn’t been brought up that many times before, but you decided that it would be fun to see who  _ really _ was better. 

_ “You were so confident that you were taller, before, weren’t you?”  _ Skeppy teases. Bad blushes in embarrassment. 

_ “That’s different,”  _ he mutters. The interaction makes you smile. Like all the comments say, they’re soulmates, whether platonically or romantically.

(You’re secretly hoping for the latter.)

In the end, Bad wins. You’re a bit surprised, but Skeppy’s reaction to losing makes you laugh. 

_ “Okay, no, you cheated!” _ Skeppy complains,  _ “I demand a rematch!” _

_ “I told you I’m good at this game! You may beat me at bedwars, but I’m superior at Mario Kart!” _

_ “So you admit I’m better at bedwars?” _

Bad’s face goes blank as he realises what he said.  _ “N-no…”  _

_ “He’s admitted it!”  _ Skeppy cheers,  _ “You heard it, right here, right now. I’m better at bedwars than BadBoyHalo!” _

_ “You’re not! I just- I didn’t say that!”  _ Bad complains, and then the video cuts to a ‘flashback’ of Bad repeating his words. You snicker. 

The next scene is of Bad cooking them dinner, some nice pasta. Your stomach growls again. You should really get something to eat, maybe some water too, but you don’t want to get up from the comfortable position on the bed. The two eat dinner across the table from each other, and this time, Skeppy records Bad.  _ Romantic _ , you think. 

Finally, the scene cuts to Skeppy sneaking in on Bad, who’s asleep on his bed. It’s a bit dark, so you can’t see much of Bad’s face. Skeppy boops Bad’s nose, who only unconsciously scrunches his nose up and groans into his pillow, turning away.

_ “Say goodnight to Bad, guys!”  _ Skeppy whispers, waving at the camera,  _ “Good night.” _

The video doesn’t end with his signature, ‘lik or die tmrw,’ and it’s a reminder to you as to how special the occasion is. You drop a like on the video before closing off, your stomach growling again. You decide to go downstairs to eat and get some water, and you scroll through Twitter as reactions to the ‘Vlog’ begin appearing in your timeline. You like a few select posts, especially ones of other Minecraft YouTuber’s. 

There’s lots of theories, some saying that the two are now dating, others claiming to have seen hidden smiles that the two send at each other, ‘proving’ that they’re either an item or at least hold something more than platonic affection for each other. There’s lots of fanfics and animatics that have come out, and you’re not ashamed to admit that you’d already watched and read most of them. 

In the end, you go to bed with a smile on your face, knowing that the two had finally met up. No matter what they end up being to each other, you feel content, and your heart feels warm as, unbeknownst to you, the two sleep side by side, basking in the warmth they offer each other.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was my FIRST time ever writing in second person. i kinda based it off of my actions, so... it's become... a self indulgent fanfic! JKJKJK-
> 
> anyway um- yes when i wrote about you getting hungry?.. that was a secret message to *you* to go nourish yourself! 
> 
> ok, well... i'm sorry again, i hope you all have a lovely rest of your day/night, and remember... there's always a reason to smile!
> 
> ~donut 
> 
> ♪┏(・o･)┛♪┗ ( ･o･) ┓♪┏ ( ･o･) ┛♪┗ (･o･ ) ┓♪┏(･o･)┛♪


	10. Day Nine (Monday)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the two streamers do the unthinkable: go outside. (Oh, and they also let a few things slip, get lost in each others eyes a lot, and y'know-- the usual).
> 
> ~~~
> 
> I'm back btw :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHAT'S UP GUESS WHO'S BACK!!!!!!!! IVE MISSED YOU ALL SO MUCH <333
> 
> yeah um pls blame school for my absence- it's been SHIT, no cap. they increased class time and gave us like loads more homework and NO TIME TO WRITE I WAS HEARTBROKEN (although i did get some writing practice since i had this writing class so-)
> 
> ANYWAY-- it's my winter break now! two weeks of NO school, so two weeks of SO much writing! we're getting our head back in the game, people!
> 
> i hope you enjoy today's chapter!!! (and no i won't be putting this book on hold until i finish it, so don't worry about that. c:)
> 
> ~donut

Bad wakes up to a snoring Skeppy, and when he sees the camera they used to vlog yesterday on the bedside table and Skeppy’s laptop on the floor, he knows that the man had overworked himself again. Who knows what time he’d gone to sleep last night. He sighs as he gets out of bed, stretching. Rat wakes up at his movements, and dashes off of the bed. 

He pops two instant waffles in the toaster for himself, and begins brewing some coffee to wake himself up. He holds his mug close to his chest as Skeppy comes over to him, obviously still delirious from sleep. Bad’s tired as well, but he still finds it in himself to scold the male.

“Zak,” he says, “You should get more sleep. You obviously stayed up for way too long last night.”

“Cold without you,” he mumbles in response, moving Bad’s arms away from his chest. He burrows himself into Bad’s chest, sighing in content. “You’re warm.”

Bad’s face burns, and he suddenly feels  _ much _ more awake than he did a few minutes prior. “Oh,” is all he says.

They stand there for a few more minutes, and as Bad is pressed against the counter, he feels his legs falling asleep. It’s not a comfortable position for sure, but he still feels content regardless. 

Bad can only let his mind wander as he and Skeppy stand in the morning sun. He hears birds chirping outside and cars driving past his house. It’s almost like his regular mornings, yet it’s different because Skeppy’s here. He looks at the man in his arms, the way his breathing slows while he slowly wakes up. He’s been able to fall into such a sweet routine with Skeppy, one with loving embraces and warmth that’s unbreakable. It’s almost-- dare he say it-- domestic.

He knows deep down just how much he wants it to be that way. How much he wishes that the soft smiles and lingering touches mean more than what they’re supposed to. That maybe Skeppy leaning a bit closer as they came down from their dance was a sign that led to something more. Yet, as always, he knows he’s fooling no one but himself. There was never an underlying memento to what Skeppy did for Bad, his actions weren’t some hidden message to be found and decoded. In the end, it would always simply be Bad, pining after someone who seemed to shine brighter than the stars.

Skeppy was like the constellations that they’d gazed at the other night. He was untouchable. Unreachable, something that was only to be studied and admired from afar. As a kid, Bad used to want to fly. Now, he wonders that maybe if he could fly, if he would be able to find Skeppy in his grasps.

Finally, Skeppy finally wakes up and their prolonged hug ends. They stare at each other in silence, and to Bad, it’s almost as if Skeppy’s eyes are sparkling, just for him. He knows they aren’t. He knows that Skeppy will someday find someone else, and his eyes will shine even brighter for them. For now, though, he allows himself to get lost in the brown orbs, and he pretends that-- just for now-- Skeppy is his.

~~~

Bad and Skeppy walk Rat down the sidewalk, their hands barely grazing each other. It sends electrifying tingles down Bad’s spine, and he basks in the small amounts of life and warmth he feels when his hand touches Skeppy’s. Rat seems to be getting tired, and Bad’s ready to head home too, before Skeppy’s stomach growls.

“You hungry?” Bad asks, smiling. 

Skeppy looks sheepish. “Yeah. Sorry.”

Bad shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it. There’s actually this great place I’ve been meaning to show you.”

Skeppy’s stomach growls again. “Lead the way.”

“We’ll have to drop Rat off first.”

“Please make it quick,” Skeppy begs, giving him a pleading face. Bad laughs as Skeppy’s stomach growls again.

“Let’s go.”

~~~

They stop outside of a restaurant a few minutes later. It’s not too fancy, and it’s the perfect place to have a casual lunch but also eat good food. Bad vaguely remembers coming here for the first time, his first thought being,  _ “Oh, Skeppy would love this place.” _ He ponders the thought for a moment, and comes to the conclusion that perhaps he had held feelings for Skeppy before he’d even known it himself. The thought did nothing to settle his nerves.

“Dang, Darryl, this place is nice! How on Earth did you even find it?” Skeppy asks, his eyes wide as he took in the surroundings.    
  


The restaurant doesn’t hold many occupants. It’s enough so that there are around a total of twelve tables, fairy lights hung around the ceiling. It’s obvious that the place wasn’t meant to be a restaurant originally, but it gives Bad a sense of magic as faint orchestral music plays in the background. 

“I got lost one time when it was  _ really  _ dark and I was walking Rat. They didn’t allow dogs, so I only wrote down the address and swore to come back here later.” Bad replies as they walk up to the front desk.

“Did you?”

“Well-” Bad starts, looking away sheepishly, “-I kinda forgot about it until you told me you were coming over.”

“Why’s that?”

“Um,” Bad looks to Skeppy, who looks at him with confusion in his eyes. “It reminds me of you.”

“How do I remind you of this place? Do I give off some fairy lights and orchestra music vibe?” Skeppy laughs.

“No,” Bad shakes his head, “You remind me of it because you’re both a hidden gem.”

“A… a hidden gem?” 

“Y-yeah,” Bad nods, internally scolding himself for the miniscule stutter. They stare at each other as if they’re lost in a trance. Skeppy looks captivating in this setting.

“Does that make me special?” It almost looks as if he’s breathless from Bad’s words.

“You’re always special.”

“Why, because I’m a diamond man?” Skeppy jokes. They lose eye contact, whatever gaze they held broken. 

“Sure,” Bad says with a sense of formality, and then the moment is truly gone. There’s a woman at the desk, and Bad puts on a polite smile. “Table for two, please.”

~~~

“This honestly seems like a nice place for a date,” Skeppy hums, swirling his straw around the minimal water and ice left in his glass. Their meals are finished, and they tasted as good as Bad expected.

Bad chokes on his spit. “What?”

“This restaurant. It seems like a nice place for a date,” he repeats, avoiding eye contact with Bad, “It’s like, romantic, you know?”

“I’m not that good with romance, Zak,” Bad laughs, though it’s thick and forced. Where is he going with this?

“Have you ever thought of bringing anyone here?”

“No.”  _ Yes. _

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”  _ No. _

“You know I can tell you’re lying, right?” 

Bad retaliates. “Oh yeah? How?”

“When you lie, there’s this little quirk in your eyebrow. Like it moves up a tiny bit.”

“Oh,” Bad replies, “Does that- Is it big? Like, obvious?”

“No,” Skeppy shakes his head, “It’s really subtle.”

“Then how do you know that?”

Skeppy freezes. They look at each other with a strange fear, as though they’re both holding back something that isn’t meant to be said. Something that’s not meant to be known.

“You never answered my question,” he says, instead of answering Bad.

“You didn’t answer mine.”

The air between them is thick. It isn’t bad, but it’s certainly unwelcome in Bad’s eyes. He worries his lip, hands fidgeting slightly underneath the table.

“I-” Bad starts, before taking in a quick breath, “I’ve thought about taking you here.” 

Skeppy’s eyes widen and he suddenly looks much more interested in the conversation. “Me?”

“Yeah,” he affirms, “You.”

“Like…”

“Not as a date,” Bad shakes his head, “But as friends. I just thought, ‘Oh! When Skeppy comes, this is somewhere we should go together.’ As friends. You know.”

He makes sure to emphasize the friends part. It hurts, but he ignores it. He searches Skeppy’s face for any sign of emotion, only to find it somewhat blank. It’s as if he’s turned himself off, and he’s looking at a stone wall that won’t give him any insight as to what his friend is thinking.

It’s strange. Skeppy’s always been an open person. “Zak?”

“Oh,” he dumbly responds, “Sorry.”

“It’s fine. What was that?”

“Nothing,” Skeppy snaps, before backing down. “Sorry. It’s nothing.”

_ It’s not nothing, _ he wants to say,  _ You’re upset, please let me help you. _ But Skeppy said it with a tone of finality. The conversation was over. Instead of pushing it, he replies with a simple, “Okay.”

The tension in the air remains, and now it’s somewhat stronger. Bad doesn’t like the feeling and finds himself picking at the tablecloth, tracing the checkered design on the fabric. He avoids eye contact with Skeppy.

“You still haven’t answered my question, though,” Bad says, trying to lift the tension surrounding them. He feels as though he’s stepping on eggshells. He doesn’t like it.

“Oh. Right,” Skeppy mutters. “I’m- I pay attention to you. A lot. You’re…”

Bad raises an eyebrow. “I’m what?”

“You’re captivating,” Skeppy breathes out, finally looking up at Bad. “I want to- I want to study you. I want to see you and know you.”

“Captivating?” Bad asks. His throat feels clogged with all the unspoken words and feelings and emotions. He feels like a dam, destined to break.

“You pull me down. Suck me in.”

“It sounds like I suffocate you, Zak,” Bad replies jokingly.

“You don’t,” Skeppy shakes his head, “You drown me.”

“That’s not much better.”

“No,” Skeppy agrees, a pained smile on his face. “But I still let you.”

It’s a big confession. It could have underlying tones. It could mean so much more. 

But he’s scared. He’s so scared to try and look into Skeppy’s words. It’s so intimidating to try. He swallows thickly. 

“Zak,” he says softly, grabbing his hand from across the table, “When you touch me-” he gently rubs his thumb along the back of Skeppy’s hand, “- I feel like I’m burning. Like I’m being swallowed in fire.”

“Does it hurt?”

“Sometimes,” Bad sighs, “But I’d let you do it anyway.”

They stare at each other for a while, hands intertwined across the table. The orchestra music still faintly plays in the background, and the fairy lights seem to twinkle even brighter than they did before. They don’t talk much more after that. So many things were said, even with their minimal conversation. Instead, though, they sit together in silence, enjoying each other’s presence. It’s sweet. It’s what Bad likes most, to simply bask in the presence of Skeppy. Crickets chirp, cutlery clatters, and the moon shines brightly in the night sky. Peace. It’s not something Bad would expect when Skeppy’s involved, but it’s not unwelcomed. He enjoys it while it lasts.

~~~

They leave the restaurant after politely waving and saying goodbye to the lady at the front. She waves them off with a warm smile, and Bad makes a mental note to come back. The restaurant is still in their sights as they begin the walk home, but it begins to fade from their view a few minutes later. They leave the restaurant, along with the topic of their discussions. Their time there is forgotten, shoved away until Bad allows the memory to resurface. 

He still feels Skeppy’s hands brush with his own, and as the air continues to blow around them, he lets out a shaky exhale. Skeppy’s hand is so close. He could grab it right then and there, but any lines they’d previously had were broken. Feelings that were meant to be unspoken were heard of, and sensations that were meant to be private were no longer only known to his own mind. 

Instead of him going for Skeppy’s hand, he finds Skeppy slipping his hand into his own. He gives Skeppy a questioning look, but the man just hides his face with one hand, masking a cough. “I’m cold,” he finally explains.

“Oh,” is all Bad can muster. He gives Skeppy a reassuring smile, squeezing his hand. “I’m a bit cold too.”

They don’t speak for the remainder of the trip home, but their hands do stay together as their arms swing back and forth. Bad can’t keep the smile off of his face.

~~~

Sleep that night is welcomed. Bad’s tired after a single day out (which really says everything about his social habits), and as he tumbles into bed next to Skeppy, he’s almost able to clock out as soon as his head hits the pillow.

Skeppy lays next to him, and he feels stoic as he lays flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling. Skeppy is on his side, facing him. He has an arm wrapped over Bad’s torso, and Bad can’t breathe. 

_ You drown me. _

The memory resurfaces. Bad feels his body burn at every area where Skeppy touches. He grits his teeth, closing his eyes. It hurts, this time. 

_ I still let you. _

Bad turns to face Skeppy. He’s still asleep. Bad moves closer, caressing the other’s cheek. The contact feels warm. It’s a kindling fire. 

All reasoning evades him as he moves closer, leaning up to press a gentle kiss to Skeppy’s temple. It’s soft, almost nonexistent. Skeppy doesn’t stir, and Bad lets out a small breath. His lips tingle, and he feels himself start to fall asleep. 

The words aren’t meant to be pondered tonight. They’re meant to be dreamt of.

Bad burns in his sleep as Skeppy’s grip tightens. Skeppy drowns as Bad clutches his shirt in his hands. They both suffocate in one another, their hearts beating unanimously as they dream.

(Rat dreams of muffins.)

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok well um there's not much to say-- TO BE HONEST, i didn't mean for it to be so much like heat waves with the you burn me part, it was actually kinda planned- there was a reason it was drowning and burning, and tbh i really wanted to use a different word, but yknow- MY VOCABULARY ONLY GOES SO FAR.
> 
> so... with that said, we are indeed back to daily updates, and as we're coming to our last few chapters i'd like to clear some things up. yes, there will be a 14 days with skeppy's perspective. it'll have the exact same plot, everything will be the same, except it's from skeppy's perspective, so you get two pining muffins! also, i'm planning on writing a dnf oneshot for the holidays and a skephalo oneshot for the holidays, so it won't come out until after then. but it will happen!!
> 
> also, apparently rat has a character tag now! woahhhh :0
> 
> one more thing: bad's apparently been diagnosed with covid... ngl i cried when i found out bc he's honestly such a sweet muffin and he doesn't deserve it, and then skeppy tweeted that he'd go dark and i lost it. their friendship is SO wholesome. anyway, please keep bad in your prayers or just wish him well if you're not religious. i'm hoping for a speedy recovery! (@covid-19 go fuck urself)
> 
> anyway, i'll see you all tomorrow, have a lovely time until then, and remember that there's always a reason to smile!! (also nourish yourselves. take care of yourselves. do it. now.)
> 
> ~donut


	11. Day Ten (Tuesday)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> did i hear that my readers request Jealous!Skeppy and Jealous!Bad? (i actually don't know how many ppl wanted that so just pretend you wanted it so this summary works ok-) here ya go :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so-  
> i'm back!! :D
> 
> oh my gosh, this entire break, i feel like i wasted it bc i was hit with serious writers block- it's so depressing. like i had so many story ideas, but i could never find the energy in me to actually write anything! i've literally accumulated like 20 new oneshot/story ideas. i think its probably bc I'm actually trying to fix up my fucked up sleep schedule, but i usually write in like the dead of night so- do i have any other night owls here? night's just so much better than day imo. it's calming when the world is silent except for you, and the idea of the entire world being asleep around you (in reality it's rly not but-) is just so appealing to me. my mom's getting on my back abt my sleeping habits tho so- 
> 
> anyway, i feel like any holiday themed one shots might come out like a week or so after the holiday's actually happened lol- hopefully they'll still end up being well received. anyway, i feel like i've rambled on for long enough, but i just want you guys to know that i've missed you all so much!! your comments are always so nice and i really do love each and every one of you. 
> 
> tbh, i'm not that proud of this chapter. hopefully you'll like it, but it's definitely not my best lol
> 
> enjoy!!
> 
> ~donut

Bad is, once again, the first one awake. He attempts to escape Skeppy’s grasp, only to no avail. He sighs from where Skeppy holds him tightly to his chest, reaching for his glasses on the bedside table. Skeppy looks pretty, as always. He wonders just how many more times the thought has crossed his mind during Skeppy’s stay. He reaches for his phone to snap a quick photo of him, to commit the scene to memory.  _ Take a photo, it’ll last longer _ , they say. After a few more moments of silent admiration, he knows it must come to an end, as all things do. Time is still moving, whether Bad wants it to or not. Gently, he shoves Skeppy in a futile attempt to wake him up. 

“Zak,” he mutters, his voice laced with early morning exhaustion, “Wake up.”

Skeppy doesn’t stir, and Bad sighs. “I want breakfast,” he says, shaking Skeppy’s shoulder. “I want coffee, I want food, please wake up.”

“Stay and cuddle with me,” Skeppy murmurs, holding Bad tighter as he nuzzles his face into Bad’s hair. There’s a deep breath, and Bad can’t help but allow the fire to consume him whole as he cuddles closer to Skeppy. They’ll wake up later, they’ll panic over what the position means later. For now, though, it’s early and rest is welcomed. 

~~~

The second time they wake up, it’s Skeppy who wakes up first. Bad wakes up from Skeppy’s movement as he snakes his arms out from under Bad’s body. They both enter the kitchen, their bodies still tired despite the time. 

“It’s almost ten,” Bad notes, bacon on the pan. 

“Oops,” is all Skeppy says. 

Bad hands Skeppy a plate with two strips of bacon. “Wanna go to the mall today?”

“Why, do you need to buy something?” Skeppy asks.

“No, but there’s an arcade, and that might be fun.”

“It does sound like fun,” Skeppy smiles, “I bet I’ll beat you at every game.”

Bad scoffs, though it’s obviously halfhearted. A smile dances on his face, though he tries to hide it. “You would  _ not _ .”

“Wanna put that to the test?” 

Skeppy’s smirking as he looks at Bad. There’s a mischievous glint behind his eyes. His gaze holds a fierce intensity, despite the joking matter it comes from. Bad swallows thickly, unable to look away from Skeppy’s eyes. “I do,” is the only thing he can bring himself to say as he melts under the fire of the stare. 

Skeppy doesn’t look away for another few seconds, and Bad holds his breath. Finally, he sighs, and drops his gaze down to the food on his plate. “Okay.”

Bad exhales, looking away as well. He takes a sip of his coffee. It makes his lips tingle. His entire body feels as though it’s coming down from a high, a high that is-- in itself-- Skeppy. It feels like little flickers of a flame, ready to explode and burn at any moment. He relishes in the feeling. It’s a reminder of Skeppy, and so he will allow the touches and thoughts to burn. He will allow it to scorch his skin, because it is love. It’s love, love that pains, love that brightens. 

It’s the love he feels for Skeppy, the love and longing that his body manifests at every lingering touch or hidden glance. Loving Skeppy is dangerous. Yet he still loves him; He allows his heart to beat faster and he allows the butterflies to fly at the sight of Skeppy. He doesn’t know if it makes him adventurous or naïve, but he doesn’t ponder the thought because he’s in far too deep.

~~~

The mall is awfully busy as Bad and Skeppy maneuver their way through the crowds. Bad has to remember that Skeppy is only holding his hand in fear of losing Bad in the mass of people. His touch still burns, even when there’s no intentional emotion behind it. 

“It’s like eleven AM on a Tuesday,” Skeppy says, brows furrowing. “Why are there so many people here? Teenagers, even. Isn’t it a school day?”

“They might have an earlier Thanksgiving break or something. Or later. Or longer,” Bad replies, thinking of any other possibilities. “Or they could just be skipping.”

“I did that too as a kid, actually,” Skeppy laughs, “Where’s the arcade, by the way?”

Bad flicks the top of Skeppy’s forehead. “Bad young Zak,” he scolds, “It’s right next to a Hot Topic store.”

Skeppy hums. “Alright.”

The crowds thin out as they approach the store, but their hands stay intertwined. It sends hope to Bad’s heart, and he grabs onto it and holds it with all his might. Hope is sweet, like sugar. It’s addicting, until you take too much and it becomes bad for you. He holds on nonetheless.

They enter the arcade, and it’s a direct change from the scenery of the mall. The lights are a more purple color, and there’s chatter and futuristic sound effects and the clatter of tokens. Bad and Skeppy walk up to the front counter. A girl, Hailey, according to her nametag, greets them with a smile. 

“Hello, what can I get you today?” She asks politely. 

“One-hundred tokens each, please,” Bad replies, already reaching for his wallet. She nods and goes to grab two cups, each filled with a multitude of tokens. 

“That’ll be thirty dollars, please,” she says, and just as Bad is about to hand her the money, Skeppy slams down three bills.

Bad turns immediately to glare at Skeppy. “No, you’re not paying for this, Zak.”

“Yes, I am,” he narrows his eyes, refusing to remove his hand in case Bad tries to take the money to return to him.

“No, you’re-”

Hailey coughs into her hand to grab their attention. “As cute as your arguing is, I really need to ring you up.”

“Cute?” Bad murmurs under his breath, “Oh, we’re not-” 

Skeppy takes his distraction to slide the money forward before Bad immediately slams his hand down on Skeppy’s, preventing him from moving any further.    
  


“Okay, Zak,” he says sternly, “I’m going to lift my hand and you’re going to pay for half, and I’ll pay for the other half. Deal?”

Skeppy bites his lip and darts his eyes around before relenting and drawing his hand back. “Fine.” 

Bad smiles triumphantly, taking out a ten dollar bill and a five dollar bill to give to Hailey. Zak does the same, and she takes them both, sliding the cups of tokens over. “Have fun, you two!”

Bad’s sure he will. He has fun as long as he’s with Skeppy. They stop in the middle, the both of them looking around to find a game to play. There’s light chatter throughout the arcade, not as much since it’s only around noon. He’s sure there would be more people if they’d arrived later.

“Wanna try that racing game?” Skeppy asks, pointing to where two seats are situated in front of two screens, each of them with racing car visuals plastered all over the game. 

Bad smiles. “Okay. I beat you at Mario Kart, I’m sure I’ll beat you at this one.”

“I bet you’ll be too short to even reach the pedals,” Skeppy snickers as he sits down.

“I am  _ one _ inch shorter than you!” he glares, “Just for that, you’re going to get absolutely  _ muffined _ .”

“You can certainly try,” He replies, inserting a token. Bad huffs. 

~~~

Skeppy was, indeed, better at driving cars than Bad was. Video game cars. Arcade video game cars. Bad still liked to think that he was better at Mario Kart than Skeppy. 

“So… did I get ‘ _ absolutely muffined _ ?’” Skeppy asks teasingly. Bad glares at him.

“Shut up. We’re going to move on and pretend that it never even-” He gasps, “-Oh, there’s a dancing machine! I used to love these!” 

Skeppy looks over to where Bad points, and cringes internally. “I’m not that good at those, Darryl.”

“Can’t you try? Please?” Bad sends him a pleading look, “Please, it’s been so long since I last got to try one of them!”

“I…”

“C’mon, please Zak?”

“Fine,” he relents, allowing Bad to drag him over to the machine. “I get to choose the song, though.” Bad pouts but agrees. 

Bad stands off to the side as Skeppy scrolls through the options on the screen. Finally, he calls Bad over.

“I like this one,” he says, pointing to the screen where the song ‘I Fell In Love With My Best Friend’ is selected. Bad hums to himself. It’s a peculiar song choice for Skeppy.

“I didn’t know you liked this song,” he replies, standing on the machine. “Let’s do this.”

“It’s good,” Skeppy replies as he stands next to Bad. 

There’s a sweet guitar intro and the notes come slowly. They both do well at first, but Bad soon is able to get his head into the game as the song continues. The song continues and picks up speed as well as the notes. Out of the corner of his eye, he notices Skeppy giving up and stepping off of the machine. 

Bad pays no mind.  _ Up, left, right, up, down, right, up, left, down, right… _ His thoughts escape him as he allows himself to laugh, enjoying the feeling of the beat underneath his feet. His legs move in sync with the music, his mind blank as he enjoys himself. He loses himself in the sound of the guitars and a sweet voice that sings as he moves in beat with the music. The lyrics evade him as the song comes to a close, and he feels breathless when he steps off of the platform. 

“How’d I do?” he asks.

Skeppy looks breathless as he responds. “You… is that even a question?” He smiles, holding a hand out for Bad to take. “Darryl, you did  _ so _ well. I don’t think you really know just how amazingly you did. Do you know how many tickets we just got?!”

Bad blushes as he takes Skeppy’s hand. “Really?”

“Does it really sound like I’m lying?”

“No,” he shakes his head, “I’m kinda thirsty, though.”

“There should be a water fountain somewhere,” Skeppy replies, “Oh, there’s a bathroom over there. There might be one around there.”

He nods. “I’ll be back, then.”

~~~

Bad longingly glances at the duck plush in the claw machine every time they pass it. It’s cute, and it reminds him of Skeppy. He wonders if he can come back on another day to get it for himself so he can hug it when Skeppy’s gone. 

“I’m almost out of tokens,” Skeppy muses, “What about you?”

“Me too,” Bad nods, “Do you wanna go play something? I can give you my tokens.” 

Skeppy looks off to somewhere in the distance. “Yeah. Do you mind?”

“I offered, you potato.” 

Bad pours the rest of his tokens into Skeppy’s cup and smiles. “What do you wanna play?”

“Oh, about that-- do you mind staying here?” 

Bad draws a blank before nodding slowly. “Why?” 

“It’s just something that I wanna do on my own. I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

Bad sighs and nods. “I’ll stay here.”

Skeppy smiles. “I’ll be quick.”

~~~

Skeppy was, in fact, not quick. Bad sits for around ten minutes before he gets bored of scrolling through Twitter and he gets up to look for Skeppy. 

He finds him hunched over a claw machine, eyes focused on the claw as it lowers. Bad doesn’t know what he’s aiming for, but whatever the case, he misses as he shouts.

“This is bullshit!” He kicks the machine half heartedly.

“Language!” Bad scolds as he comes up behind Skeppy, “You can’t just go around shouting swears in public places!” 

“Darryl?” he says, “Oh, sorry. But- I told you to stay there.”

“I waited for like ten minutes, Zak,” he laughs, “C’mon, what were you trying to get?”

“The.. the duck plush, over there.” 

The plush Bad wanted. Bad smiles at him, grabbing a token. “Let me try. If we can’t get it, we can go to a store or something to get one similar to it.” 

“No, you don’t have to spend money on it. And I can do it myself, I promise.”

“You’ve been here for ten minutes,” Bad points out, raising an eyebrow. 

“True, but-”

“Just let me,” he interrupts Skeppy, lightly pushing Skeppy aside. He slides the token in, and the machine starts up, making a whirring sound. Skeppy watches from the sidelines as Bad bites his lip in focus of getting the duck. He lines the claw up with the plush and when he decides it’s as good as it’s gonna get, he hits the button to lower the claw. Machinery whirs as the claw lowers, clutching the plushie. He feels a sense of pride as it gets lifted up and dropped down the chute to where he picks it up.

“I got it for you!” He grins, holding the plush to Skeppy. 

Skeppy groans. “How’d you do it? No fair.” He takes the plush regardless of his complaining. 

“What’re you going to name it?” Bad inquires, sliding over to stand next to Skeppy. 

“You decide,” Skeppy says, handing it to Bad, “It’s yours.”

“Mine?” Bad asks, dumbfounded, “Why’d you-”

“I was trying to get it for you,” Skeppy explains, “You looked like you wanted it, so…”

“How’d you know?” Bad breathlessly stares at the plushie. 

“I pay attention to you,” he repeats his words from last night. “I wanted to-- I don’t know. Make you happy, I guess.”

“Zak,” Bad says sweetly, “You being here with me makes me happy in itself.”

“Maybe,” Skeppy shrugs, “But maybe I also want you to feel elated. Maybe I want to see you smile. Maybe I want to be the reason for it.”

Bad blushes. Despite there being no contact, he feels hot. There’s a fire consuming his body whole as he clutches at the plushie in his hands. “Maybe you’re burning me again,” he whispers.

“Maybe I want to.”

Skeppy grabs Bad’s hand. The fire grows, and his blush deepens. Bad doesn’t look up at Skeppy, but he brings the duck closer to chest. 

“We have tickets to cash in, don’t we?” Skeppy asks, and Bad nods.

“Right. Tickets.”

~~~

“What should we get? We’ve only got like two-hundred tickets,” Bad ponders, looking at the selection of items.

“These things aren’t really for us,” Skeppy notes. There’s a tiara they could get, or a bear plush. 

“Why don’t we just get lots of candy?” 

“Sure.”

They reach the desk, and Skeppy hands over their tickets to the man on the other side of the counter. 

“Two-hundred seventy-two tickets,” he says, “What would you like to get?”

“Just some candy,” Skeppy replies, “Preferably the skittles and starburst.”

The man slides over two starburst and two skittles packets, of which they each pocket. “Hey, sorry if this is a weird question, but are you gay?”

Skeppy and Bad look at each other and back at the man. “What?” Skeppy asks.

“Oh, um, nevermind. I’m just trying to set my friend up, and you seem like his type.”

Bad feels a sinking feeling as he looks at Skeppy for his answer.  _ It’s Zak’s life _ , he has to remind himself,  _ he can do what he wants.  _ There’s still a pit in his stomach. Skeppy seems as though he’s at a loss for words, and Bad can’t help but step in. Maybe Skeppy isn’t his, but he doesn’t deserve to be a stranger’s either. 

“Well, I’m sure your friend is a nice person,” Bad smiles politely, though it’s obviously strained. He grabs Skeppy’s hand and starts pulling them away from the desk. “But my friend here isn’t interested.”

“Oh, sorry-”

“No, it’s fine! Have a nice day!” he waves the man away as he drags Skeppy out of the arcade. 

As soon as they step outside, he feels himself freeze. What did he just do? Maybe Skeppy wanted to meet someone new, and he just made him lose his opportunity. The sinking feeling is back, and he avoids Skeppy’s gaze as he fidgets with the duck plush that Skeppy gave him. He still needs to name it. 

He feels cold inside. He bites his lip to try and distract himself from Skeppy’s burning stare into the side of his head. Jealousy doesn’t look good on people. He should’ve kept quiet. Though, thinking of Skeppy with another person… he feels his lungs constrict and his chest harden from the pain the thought brings. He loves Skeppy, and he knows that. Perhaps, though, he underestimated just how much he did. He feels himself come to the sinking realisation that loving Skeppy would also mean losing Skeppy. Losing him to someone else, because Skeppy was so painfully not into him. Bad feels his lip quiver. Skeppy will find someone, someday. That someone, as much as he hates to say it, would never be him.

“Darryl,” Skeppy says, and Bad immediately looks up. It’s the way he says his name, that always grabs his attention. 

“Yes?”

“Thank you,” he smiles, and Bad’s nerves are put at ease. 

“Of course,” Bad nods in response. He looks down at his watch. “It’s three, wanna get a late lunch?”

~~~

They reach the food court a few minutes later, and step in line at Corner Bakery. Skeppy orders himself a sandwich, and Bad gets himself a corn muffin and spaghetti. They sit down at a table with their number. 

“This is like a date,” Skeppy blurts out, giving Bad a cheeky smile. Bad does a double take.

“What is it with you and dates recently?” Bad asks, feeling his cheeks heat up. 

“I don’t know,” he replies, “It is like a date, though, right?”

Bad doesn’t know how to answer. “Is it?”

“I think it is,” Skeppy nods, before taking a breath. “Is- Do you want this to be a date?”

Skeppy sets him aflame. His cheeks are obviously flushed, and there’s a fire soaring through his body. He suffocates in the flames like he always does. He lets Skeppy do this to him, like he always does. 

Bad swallows thickly. “I-”

“Order number twenty-one!” someone calls, and Bad notes that it’s their order number. Skeppy seems to notice the same thing and gets up. “I’ll be back.” 

He nods in response, allowing Skeppy to walk to the counter to grab their meal. There’s a group of girls who sit near them, giggling. One of them gets up and walks over, smiling sweetly. She takes Skeppy’s seat across from him. 

“Hi,” she says.

Bad awkwardly gives her a smile. “Hello.”

“Are you alone right now?” she asks, tracing her finger along the wooden patterns on the table.

“No, actually, you’re in my friend’s seat,” he replies.

“I’m sure he wouldn’t mind,” she shrugs, dismissing the topic with the wave of her hand. She looks back at him with a gleam in her eye. “Hey, has anyone told you that you’re cute?”

“I- Wh-wha?”

She giggles. “Oh, you’re shy, too,” she muses, “I’m Caroline.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” he politely replies, offering a hand for her to shake, “I’m Darryl.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever met a Darryl before,” Caroline laughs, intertwining their fingers and laying hands on the table. 

“Oh,” is all Bad can muster. Her grip is like iron and steel. He can’t pull away.

“So, are you free-”

Caroline gets interrupted as a tray gets slammed down on their table. It startles them both, and Skeppy glares daggers at Caroline, who looks offended at his entrance.

“Who are you?” Skeppy asks, narrowing his eyes at her, “That’s my seat.”

“Oh, hello,” she forcedly smiles, “I was just talking to Darryl, here.”

“Were you, now?” he replies, “Well, your conversation is over now.”

Caroline can only awkwardly chuckle as Skeppy continues to glare at her. She pulls her hand away from Bad’s, and Skeppy’s gaze hardens even more when she lingers in his seat. She coughs into her hand, standing up and stepping aside. 

“Have a nice meal,” she says, her voice quiet. She shuffles back to her table with her friends and they accept her with open arms. 

Skeppy takes his seat rightfully, huffing. He hands Bad his food and they sit in silence. Bad fidgets slightly, waiting for Skeppy to break the ice himself. He still has a dangerous aura surrounding him as he grumpily chews his sandwich. 

“Sorry,” he finally says, “You just seemed kinda uncomfortable, and-” he pauses, “I felt like I had to get you out of that.”

“It’s fine, Zak,” Bad smiles, “Thank you.”

Skeppy swallows thickly. “Yeah.” 

~~~

Bad’s worn out by the time they reach home. They order take-out from a nearby Chinese place and spend the rest of their night cuddled up together on the couch. Bad can only feel satisfaction as he holds Skeppy in his arms with the knowledge that no one else gets to have this. No one else gets to feel this. Maybe someone will steal Skeppy away in the future, but for now, he feels content with Skeppy’s heartbeat matching his as they doze off together.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love jealous!skeppy and jealous!bad, no cap. idc if jealousy doesn't look pretty irl, it's cute in fanfics so let me just have this lmao
> 
> anyway, i hope you guys have had a happy new year and happy holidays!!!! so many kudos to like every other writer who managed to get holiday specials out on time lol qwp
> 
> skeppy's new years special made me cry in so many ways. it was so sweet and wholesome (though the ending was questionable. i can't be the only one who heard the music and thought it sounded romantic in a sense.) and it was just so so so sweet. ngl the ending was like a confession, i sent it to one of my friends who had no idea who they were and she asked me if they were dating now bc they'd be a rly cute couple and i was confused until i realized that she thought skeppy was confessing to bad at the end lmao. i got so sentimental when looking back at their memories. i can't imagine how different it would be if they never met. tbh i fully believe that they're soulmates (platonic or romantic)-- like they'll always find their way back to one another, they're with each other in every other alternate timeline, their reincarnations always find a way to find one another. they're so so sweet and I'm so thankful for them being in our lives. (I'm kinda sad they didn't meet up before the year ended tho :c)
> 
> anyway- i hope you guys are looking forward to this new year as much as i am, because I'm literally just hoping that 2021 won't go to shit like 2020 did. also, did any of you shout jumanji as a joke? i did. i got in trouble afterwards tho lol
> 
> ~donut


	12. Day Eleven (Wednesday)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which I finally get over my writers block and provide fluff for my readers.
> 
> (Or: PICNICS!!!!!!! :DDD)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FUCK. THIS IS SO FUCKING LATE AND IM SO SOS SO SORRY AND I WILL GET INTO IT AT THE END NOTES BUT I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT I AM SO SOS SO SORRY
> 
> first: IVE MISSED YOU GUYS!!!!!!!! HELLO! HOW ARE YOU! WHAT'S UP?? HOW HAVE MY LOVELY READERS BEEN??
> 
> second: my motivation to write this chapter came from someone threatening to take away my dak0ta privileges (they're a rly good friend of mine who i love and cherish) if i didn't write this so i speed ran it and was somehow able to complete what i couldn't do in like two weeks in two hours.
> 
> third: THIS ONE IS VERY FLUFFYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE IT! :DD
> 
> random notes:  
> \- another reason why i wrote this today is 1. its wednesday, and that's convenient haha- and 2. i exercised again today so i can tell you off if you guys didn't exercise  
> \- SKEPPY LOVE OR HOST???? WHATTTTTT????????????????????  
> \- this chapter was written while listening to line without a hook. its a real banger.  
> \- my friend is a literal badboyhalo and me and her girlfriend have convinced her to create a house out of crafting tables. (also guess who messed with their beds and placed them next to each other HEHEHEHE)  
> \- i'm purposely avoiding the dream smp streams bc my heart is still very tender from reading angsty fanfics instead of getting into the angsty lore  
> \- i ran out of banana muffins this week again :(  
> \- SHE'S A SHE'S A LADY  
> \- probably should've attended that webinar that debriefs me on what to do for my schooling next year but i wrote this instead  
> \- i wish that soulmate AU where whatever you write on your arm appears on ur soulmates arm existed irl because i could totally just talk to my soulmate in class and that would be cool bc english is boring asf.  
> \- line drills will be the DEATH of me  
> \- i have a french pen pal and they like sports (i don't like sports for the record) and love fortnite and they hate reading/writing what do i do help me
> 
> any who, i hope you enjoy todays chapter!!!!!!! hopefully i won't disappear again for who knows how long!!!!!! <3 :D
> 
> ~ donut

Bad only slightly regrets falling asleep on the couch again. His back doesn’t ache as much as it did last time since they’re lying horizontally, and Skeppy’s warmth makes up for any aches that appeared over the night. There isn’t enough room for Bad to slip out of the couch with, and Skeppy inevitably wakes up with the constant shuffling. 

“I’m hungry,” is the first thing Skeppy says after they’re both properly seated on the couch.

Bad laughs, and checks the time. “Okay, well, I have a plan for today.”

“Does it involve getting food? Like, right now?” Skeppy’s stomach grumbles as he finishes his sentence. Bad snickers and Skeppy glares.

“It’s like, eleven right now,” Bad says, “I was thinking… we could go on a picnic!”

Skeppy stays silent before nodding. “Exactly  _ how _ long will it take for us to make the food and get to the picnic spot? Because I’m really hungry.”

“You can have a quick snack, you muffinhead. There should be some yogurt in the fridge.”

“Good enough for me!”

~~~

Preparing simple sandwiches really shouldn’t have taken as long as it did. Then again, Bad supposes that he should’ve at least expected Skeppy to slow them down for whatever reason he deemed necessary. Skeppy keeps picking at the bread, the ham, the lettuce, taking small bits away and eating them. It shouldn’t have bothered Bad as much as it did, but perhaps he just wanted to make a scene so he could (somewhat) be the reason for the little giggles that Skeppy made whenever he became ‘outraged.’ 

“Oh my goodness,” he says, and he can’t help but feel like he’s said the phrase so much that it sounds foreign on his tongue, “Zak, you can eat once we’re at the picnic spot! Didn’t you already have your yogurt?”

Skeppy giggles.  _ (Oh, he giggles, and he hides his smile behind his artfully crafted sweater paws, and Bad falls all over again.)  _ “It’s not enough,” he says, “I’m still hungry.”

“What could you possibly be hungry for?” 

“You,” he easily answers, and  _ goodness _ , Bad can’t take the way his voice trails off, the way he gives him a suggestive quip of the lip as he speaks. Bad burns, as always. Bad burns, and it’s painful, but he can’t help but melt at the way Skeppy laughs at Bad’s reaction. 

“Stop,” he mutters, gritting his teeth as he looks away, “Don’t do that to me.”

“Do what?” 

“Stop…”  _ Stop burning me. Put out this godforsaken fire in my stomach, the flames in my heart, the burn in my lungs. Stop playing with the flicker of the flame.  _ “Nevermind.”

If Skeppy’s face falls and they complete the rest of the picnic basket in silence, no one mentions it.

~~~

They leash Rat, and then they’re out the door, with a backpack filled with water bottles and food and a blanket that they’re going to sit on once they’re there. It’s colder out today, and Bad would be lying if he said that he’d checked the weather before they’d set out. They make do with the weather.

(If “make do” means that they hold hands to keep warm (and it really is only to keep warm) as Bad guides them to a clearing of soft grass and chirping birds, they don’t talk about it.)

“We’re here,” Bad says, and he feels as breathless as he always does when he looks at the area. The grass blades are usually sharp in Florida, but here, they feel soft, like a gentle tickle your mother gives you when you’re young. He lets out a content sigh. It feels calming here. There’s an aura of pleasantness that weaves through every section of the field. 

Skeppy walks in slowly, as though he’s intruding on a scene. He turns his head from side to side and back and forth as he takes in his surroundings. Bad naturally walks past him, having been here a thousand times. He lays the blanket down on the grass, spreading it out and grabbing rocks to put on the corners so that it won’t fly away. 

They both sit down next to each other, and Bad unleashes Rat so that she can run around a bit. Bad unboxes their picnic and hands Skeppy his sandwich.

“Now you can eat,” he teases. Skeppy rolls his eyes and eagerly takes a bite out of his sandwich.

“Darryl,” he says, “this is amazing.”

“Swallow before you speak,” Bad scolds, “And, it’s just a sandwich. How good could it get?”

“It’s gonna be good as long as it comes from you,” Skeppy replies. Bad blushes.

“You’re such a muffinhead,” he responds. It’s a simple way of telling Skeppy ‘Thank you,’ to let Skeppy know he appreciates and cares about his opinion. The easy part is that he doesn’t have to say so many words, or explain so many feelings. He knows Skeppy understands nonetheless. 

After they finish their food, they bask in the calm atmosphere that has been laid out for them. Bad picks up a bit of grass and playfully throws it at Skeppy. He sputters, and retaliates by grabbing a handful and throwing it onto Bad. They giggle, and Bad wipes it away. 

Bad pulls out his phone and unlocks it, only to find it still has his camera roll open. His face flushes at the sight of a peacefully sleeping Skeppy. 

“Is that me?” 

Bad’s growing blush only increases ten-fold at Skeppy’s words, and he turns his phone off. He resists the very prominent urge to simply throw the device as far away as he could, or maybe let the ground swallow him whole, just so he can get out of the situation.

“No,” he replies, and it’s a terrible lie, “It’s-- It’s Rat.”

“Rat,” Skeppy repeats.

“Rat,” Bad affirms.

“Am I really just a dog to you, Darryl?” Skeppy asks, and Bad furrows his eyebrows at him.

“Of course not, why would you--”

“That was me, though. I’m not Rat.”

Bad scoffs and rolls his eyes, praying for Skeppy to just drop the subject. “Well, you two are both very clingy and loud, you know.”

“Are we both cute?” Skeppy asks, and it’s really an unfair question. Does Skeppy even know what he does to Bad?

Bad swallows thickly. “Yeah,” he answers, and Skeppy looks flustered at his honest reply. It makes him feel giddy inside. “Do you know the other reason why you’re similar?”

“No.”

He steadies himself. “Because I love--” _ you both.  _ “--giving you both hugs.”

Well. That wasn’t what he wanted to say.

Skeppy looks slightly disappointed, but he laughs anyway. Bad pouts. “What?”

“Nothing,” he replies, “You’re just…”

Bad waits. He thinks he’d wait a lifetime for Skeppy.

“So silly,” Skeppy finishes.

Bad shrugs. “You’re such a muffinhead.”

_ I love that muffinhead _ , Bad solemnly thinks,  _ Do you love this muffinhead, too? _

They sit in silence for a bit, and Bad takes the opportunity of the tense yet comfortable atmosphere that they’ve made to scoot a little closer to Skeppy and lay his head on his shoulder. He can’t tell if Skeppy minds, but he lets Bad relax into his warmth, and Bad knows that they’re okay.

“It was me in that photo though, right?” Skeppy asks, and his voice is confident yet shy. 

“Why does it matter so much to you?” Bad retorts.

Skeppy stays silent for a bit, before he answers, “It just does.”

Bad rolls his eyes, and he knows Skeppy can see it from the way he bites back a grin. He sighs. “It was,” Bad admits, “Is that weird?”

Skeppy hums, pondering for a moment. “No,” he finally says, “It’s not.”

“Okay,” Bad nods, because it’s all he can think of to say. His throat feels tight. “Good.”

There’s another beat of silence before Skeppy breaks it again. “Why-- why did you take that photo?”

_ He needs to stop _ , Bad thinks, but he opens his mouth to reply before thinking twice and snapping it shut. “Because…”  _ You’re cute. You’re pretty. You’re beautiful.  _ “Because I feel like I need to capture every moment, y’know?”

Skeppy makes a noise of affirmation, and Bad goes on. “I feel like you’re leaving so soon, and I don’t want you to, so I need to keep everything that I can while you’re here.” His voice is quiet as he continues, “And… that includes how you look when you’re sleeping by my side.”

“O-oh,” Skeppy says, and Bad watches as he swallows and turns away from Bad. 

“Was  _ that _ weird?” Bad asks.

“No,” Skeppy shakes his head. “It was just… surprising.”

“In a good way or a bad way?” 

“In a good way,” Skeppy says, smiling as he turns to look at Bad. “In all the best ways.”

Bad looks up at Skeppy and their faces are mere inches apart. He thinks he sees Skeppy look down, away from his eyes, and he feels his lips part in anticipation. 

_ Is this even real? _ He wonders, and then Skeppy cups his cheek and leans in closer, and Bad can feel his body burn, from every little bit of contact that he has with Skeppy, and he thinks he’s flying or dreaming as he closes his own eyes. 

And then he suddenly feels a newfound weight on his lap and he’s brought back to reality. He jerks away and looks down to find Rat easily snuggling into his lap, tired out from her ‘adventuring’ that she does every time they go to this area. 

He doesn’t look back at Skeppy, but his face and his body still burns. They’re still sitting so close, and Bad keeps on thinking about the dazed look in Skeppy’s eyes, or the way he was practically shaking in anticipation for… for  _ something _ .  _ (For a kiss,  _ his mind supplies, and he shuts it up immediately.)

“Um,” Skeppy says. He clears his throat and coughs slightly. “We should-- we should probably go now. Before it gets too dark.”

Bad nods, but he doesn’t look at Skeppy in the eye. “Right.”

“Right,” Skeppy repeats.

He gently lifts Rat off of his lap and coos to her in a gentle voice while he calms himself down. After a few minutes, he gets up as well and helps Skeppy clean up their picnic area. He re-leashes Rat, and finally looks at Skeppy in the eyes as they make their way to leave the secluded area. 

There’s a lamp behind Skeppy and it makes him look ethereal. He doesn’t feel real, with the way his tanned skin glows or his dark eyes shine. He looks magical, mythical, like everything Bad loves and wishes were his. He swallows the thoughts down and away, ignoring the way his heart beats and the way butterflies fly, and the way his insides still burn and melt and take him away completely. 

They leave behind the soft grass and the tranquility, as well as the memory of what might have happened there. They do it mutually, until it comes time for them to talk about it, because that’s how it’s always been. It’s how it’s always been done, and Bad really does hate change.

~~~

They have a small dinner because they had a late lunch, and this time, they allow themselves to actually sleep in a genuine bed. It’s much more comfortable, in Bad’s opinion. He lays down and shuffles under the covers, turning to face Skeppy, who faces him as well.

“Hi,” he giggles.

“Hey,” Skeppy replies.

“Are you tired?” Bad asks, and Skeppy nods. He yawns, and it makes Bad laugh. “I’m not.”

“You don’t look tired,” Skeppy notes, “How are you not tired?”

Bad hums. “Busy mind.”

“What are you thinking about?”

_ You. _

“Video ideas,” he says instead, “I feel like I should be uploading more, but sometimes it’s hard to know what content to make. I feel like most of my viewers watch me because of  _ you _ , and not because of the videos and streams  _ I _ make.”

“Is that… a bad thing?”

“No,” Bad shakes his head, “You’re never a bad thing. I just kinda wish they’d see BadBoyHalo more than they saw Skeppy.”

“You should tell them that,” Skeppy mutters, holding Bad’s hand. “You’re someone who deserves to be seen.”

Bad blushes. He moves closer to Skeppy and wraps his arms around his torso to give him a hug. It feels a little strange given their position, but any hug with Skeppy feels like home. “Thank you.”

Skeppy nods. “Of course. Get some sleep, okay?”

“I will.”

“Good night, Darryl.” He wonders if he’ll ever get tired of the way his name sounds coming from Skeppy’s mouth.

“Night, Zak.”

He doesn’t sleep right away. Instead, he thinks of what might have happened had he not been so shocked from Rat sitting on his lap, if his lips finally felt Skeppy’s. If they would be warm, if they would fit perfectly against his own. He loses himself in his daydreams of kisses and warmth. He admires Skeppy as though he will never see the other man again. He soaks in his presence and right before he drifts off to sleep, he places a gentle kiss on his nose just because he can. It isn’t what he longs for, but it’s enough to keep the need at bay for another day.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oops. LUL IM NOT ENDING THAT SLOWBURN JUST YET HAHAHAHAHA 
> 
> ok i'm sorry that was mean take my muffins :(
> 
> NOW: the reason why it took so fucking long to get this chapter out.  
> the short answer: writers block!! :,)  
> the long answer: i couldn't, like, get it out. i knew that i wanted to get from point a to point b, but i had no fucking clue on how to do that. it took me forever to get a few paragraphs done, and once that happened, i was never happy with how it looked. i know, i hate that i took this long to get this chapter out too, but i really hope the wait was worth it. eventually, after being threatened of my dak0ta privileges, i pulled my shit together and speed ran this. to be honest, the end product is something that i didn't think i would be that proud of, but i really like it!!!!! 
> 
> i know that it took a while to get this chapter out, and if you're still here after that long wait, i applaud you and send you my love and hugs. i do appreciate you all, and i love reading all the comments you leave about how the fic made you feel different ways. i adore all of you and thank you for sticking with me and my trashy writing and nonexistent uploading schedules. thank you all for your support. i love you so much!! <3
> 
> also: with the ending bit of bad talking abt ppl not rly seeing him? in no way, has he ever expressed that, but i added it in there because that's what *i*, as a viewer, have noticed. in all his streams, the chat always says "SKEPPY'S HERE" or "CALL SKEPPY" and like- i get it, but it's *bad's* stream! i love bad and skeppy's friendship as much as the next person, but he's his own content creator. he is more than just "skeppy's best friend," y'know? i feel like half of his viewers on his streams are there solely because they wanna see skeppy, and not bad. kinda annoys me, but... thats just my two cents.
> 
> anyway... the question of the day!!!!!: favorite bubblegum flavor! go!
> 
> remember that there's always a reason to smile, and i hope you all have a lovely rest of your day/night!!!!! go and nourish yourselves and take care of your bodies! eat! drink! EXERCISE (i did that today, so i therefore have the right to tell you to do it too!)!!!!!! I LOVE YOU GUYS! <3
> 
> ~donut

**Author's Note:**

> :0
> 
> ilya!! <3
> 
> i hope you guys had a lovely thanksgiving (if it was thanksgiving for you-), and remember that theres always a reason to smile!! have a lovely day/night guysssss!! ^v^
> 
> ~donut


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